Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday reiterated his call for improved relations with Afghanistan but emphasised that the administration in Kabul must rein in Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) first.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been strained due to frequent border skirmishes and Islamabad repeatedly demanding Kabul take action against the banned TTP for using Afghan soil to launch attacks in Pakistan. Kabul denies the allegations.

Earlier this week, the Afghanistan government alleged that Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Patika province, which led to the killing of 46 civilians, while security officials said that the bombings targeted TTP camps there.

On Thursday, the Foreign Office (FO) parried queries regarding recent air strikes on Afghanistan. Although multiple questions were posed to her regarding the recent air strikes, FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch avoided directly confirming the action. She, however, maintained that Pakistan’s security and law enforcement personnel continue to conduct operations in the border areas to protect the people of Pakistan from terror groups, including the TTP.

While addressing a cabinet meeting on Friday, PM Shehbaz said Afghanistan was Pakistan’s “brotherly neighbour”, and that it was Islamabad’s heartfelt wish to improve relations with Kabul, especially with regards to the economy and trade.

“Unfortunately, the TTP is operating from Afghanistan and carrying out terror attacks and killing innocent people inside Pakistan. This cannot go on,” he said.

“We have conveyed to the Afghan government that we desire good ties with them but TTP should be stopped from killing our innocent people. This is a red line. TTP operating from there against Pakistan is unacceptable.”

The prime minister reiterated his call to the Afghan government to devise a concrete strategy, saying that Pakistan was ready for dialogue.

“But the policy of talks and allowing TTP to operate against Pakistan can’t go simultaneously,” he said.

He said that the armed forces and the law enforcement agencies of Pakistan were all-time ready to ensure the country’s peace and security.

“A few days ago, 16 FC personnel were martyred and the forces eliminated several terrorists in North Waziristan operations on Thursday, in which an army major was also martyred,” he recalled.

Afghanistan summon Pakistani envoy

Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s foreign ministry said it summoned the Charge d’Affaires of the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul on Wednesday afternoon and handed over a formal protest note regarding the bombing “near the Durand Line in the Bermal district of Paktika province”.

The ministry, in its statement, said the “violation” was condemned and alleged that the move was “an attempt by certain Pakistani factions to create distrust between the two countries” as the two sides engaged in talks.

Past escalations

Back in March, the FO confirmed Pakistan had carried out “intelligence-based anti-terrorist operations” inside the border regions of Afghanistan, hours after Kabul said airstrikes conducted on its soil had killed eight people.

FO said the prime targets of the operation conducted in the morning earlier today were terrorists belonging to the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, adding that the outfit, along with the TTP, was responsible for multiple terrorist attacks inside Pakistan, resulting in “deaths of hundreds of civilians and law enforcement officials”.

It said that the latest attack of such an instance took place on March 17 at a security post in Mir Ali in North Waziristan which claimed the lives of seven Pakistani soldiers.

In July, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told BBC in an interview that Pakistan will “continue to launch attacks against Afghanistan as part of a new military operation aimed at countering terrorism”.

“It’s correct that we have been carrying out operations in Afghanistan, and we will continue to do so. We won’t serve them with cake and pastries. If attacked, we’ll attack back,” Asif had told the outlet.