Islamabad: Afghanistan's soil is being used
for "terror activities" in Pakistan and peace cannot be
established in the country unless infiltration from across the
Afghan border is stopped, Inter-Services Intelligence agency
chief Lt Gen Ahmad Shuja Pasha said on Tuesday.
Pasha, while briefing the parliamentary committee on
national security, said the "drug mafia in Afghanistan" is
supporting terrorists who are creating unrest in Pakistan, the
Dawn News channel reported.
The ISI chief's comments came against the backdrop of
increasing US pressure on Pakistan to launch an operation
against the Taliban in North Waziristan tribal region.
Several groups with close links to the Pakistani security
establishment are active in the region. The Pakistan Army has
refrained from taking action against these militant factions,
reportedly because the security establishment considers them
as "assets" who would be useful after US troops pull out of
Afghanistan.
Members of the parliamentary committee on national
security favoured fencing of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border
and strictly monitoring movements across the frontier.
They also called for enhancing security along the border.
Senator Raza Rabbani, chairman of the parliamentary
committee, told reporters after the meeting that the panel had
condemned screening of Pakistani citizens under new security
measures introduced by the US and described the move as
"violation of international human rights declarations".
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, January 13, 2010, 00:10