TTP launches ‘Azm-e-Shariat’ to counter Operation Azm-e-Istehkam

KABUL: The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have announced they are launching a so-called Azm-e-Shariat to counter Pakistan Army’s Opration Azm-e-Istehkam.

The development comes in the wake of Islamabad’s decision to introduce a new counter-terrorism operation to deal with militancy in the region. The Prime Minister’s Office previously stated that Azm-e-Istehkam was a “multi domain, multi agency, whole of the system national vision for enduring stability in Pakistan.”

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been tense as of late with Kabul issuing a reactionary statement to Defense Minister Khawaja Asif’s remarks wherein he had implied cross-border as a retaliatory measure against militant outfits.

In March, the Pakistan Air Force had carried out targeted air strikes on terrorist hideouts located in Afghanistan. The air operations were as a result of a meticulous approach to finding these hideouts and targeting them as many of these terrorists have wreaked havoc, the Foreign Office had said at the time.

Pakistan has consistently asked Afghanistan to take action against these terrorists using Afghani land for operations in Pakistan. The FO spokesperson said Pakistan and Afghanistan must work together for this purpose to eliminate such risks and ensure their collective safety.