KARACHI: The Russian foreign ministry on Friday dismissed Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Igor Zubov’s recent remarks about the alleged movement of Daesh militants from Pakistan to Tajikistan by helicopter as a “slip of the tongue”.

According to a Dawn.com report, Mr Zubov had on Jan 28 said that fighters with ties to the militant Islamic State (IS) group were being transferred via unidentified helicopters from the Pakistani border to the Tajikistani border “in the direction of the southern borders of Russia”.

According to Russian news agency Sputnik, the minister had also claimed that Moscow might be preparing for provocations that affect Russia.

“Daesh fighters in massive quantities were transported from Pakistani territory to the border with Tajikistan. In that area, perhaps, the militants might stage massive provocations that would result in huge amounts of refugees fleeing the territory. This would have an impact on Russia,” Mr Zubov was quoted as saying.

However, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zhakharova dismissed Mr Zubov’s remarks during a weekly press briefing on Friday, saying that these were a “slip of the tongue”. She added that Russia

and Pakistan shared common concerns regarding the growing momentum of Daesh militants and their expansion in the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border area.

Ms Zhakharova said that Moscow was closely cooperating with Islamabad in the fight against terrorism and advancing the peace process in Afghanistan.

The Russian official highlighted the “great contribution” made by all countries bordering Afghanistan and said that Moscow would serve as a reliable partner in every effort to ensure the security of borders.

Earlier this week, Special Repre­sentative of the Russian President on Afghanistan, Ambassador Zamir Kabulov, had called on Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi at the Foreign Office in Islamabad.

The two sides had discussed mutual interests of regional and international matters, with particular reference to the Afghan peace process.

Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2019