Justified response

THE terrorist attack on Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) camp in Karachi is yet another stark reminder that Afghan soil continues to be used for terrorist activities against Pakistan. The arrested attacker admitted that he was trained in Afghanistan before infiltrating Pakistan, which has repeatedly urged the Afghan authorities to prevent their territory from being exploited by militant groups. Instead, the continued presence and activities of these outfits clearly suggest a nexus between terrorist organizations and elements within the Afghan Administration. No sovereign state can be expected to tolerate cross-border terrorism. Pakistan was, therefore, fully justified in carrying out precision strikes across the border in the exercise of its inherent right to self-defence. Conducted overnight between June 28 and 29 under Operation Ghazab-lil-Haq, the strikes targeted terrorist camps and hideouts in Paktia, Paktika and Kunar. The operation destroyed three terrorist facilities, eliminated 25 militants and destroyed substantial caches of weapons and ammunition. These precision strikes were a measured and legitimate response to repeated terrorist attacks orchestrated from across the border and demonstrated Pakistan’s resolve against terrorism. At the same time, the Ministry of Interior’s directive to arrest, from July 10 onwards, any Afghan national residing in Pakistan without a valid visa is another necessary step to strengthen national security. Every sovereign country has the right to regulate the presence of foreign nationals within its borders. Effective immigration management is an essential component of counterterrorism efforts and should not be viewed through any other prism. The Afghan authorities must realize that allowing terrorist groups to operate from their territory serves no one’s interests. It undermines regional peace, damages Afghanistan’s international standing and, above all, inflicts immense suffering on the Afghan people themselves. Instead of turning a