Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed, while speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, said that there was a link between Baloch militant groups and the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), as well as other militant groups, to carry out terror attacks in Pakistan.
Rasheed further said that the Afghan Taliban acted as a bridge for conversation with TTP.
“The Taliban tried to converse with TTP and make them understands things but the result turned out differently. Instead of negotiations, we are witnessing an increase in terrorism.”
Rasheed said, “The banned TTP has begun demanding extortion in Peshawar.” He also said that the TTP may have been involved in the Naushki and Panjgur attacks on security forces.
The Interior Minister stated that the Baloch Nationalist Army (BNA) was not capable of carrying out the attacks in Naushki and Panjgur, but that TTP could be behind those attacks. He further added that this was his own analysis.
Sheikh Rasheed said that terrorists have contacts in India and camps in Afghanistan.
He added that Daesh (ISIS) and other militant organisations are also increasing terrorism in the country.
When asked by anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada how the Afghan Taliban were allowing all the contacts between Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and these militant groups, which were posing a threat to the security in Pakistan, Sheikh Rasheed said: “These groups are connected through phones. We have given a high alert. There is a great increase in terrorism and the situation can go to any side.”
The interior minister said that TTP now has the latest weapons, all of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) weapons are with them. Those weapons are also being sold, smuggled in Afghanistan and coming to Pakistan as well.
Rasheed said that terrorists enter from Afghanistan to carry out attacks in Pakistan and go back, as happened recently in two major attacks on security forces; terrorists went back to Afghanistan after conducting attacks.
On February 3, it was reported that two separate terrorist attacks have been successfully repulsed by the Pakistan Army in Balochistan’s Panjgur and Noshki areas.
In a press release, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said “both attacks have been successfully repulsed while inflicting heavy casualties to terrorists”.
According to the ISPR, terrorists were in contact with their handlers in Afghanistan. They said that after the Taliban’s takeover, we were told that attacks from the war-torn neighbour will stop but they have increased.
