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Pakistan opposed to taking military action against Taliban on its soil

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ANI Kabul

Days after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called on Islamabad to take action against the Taliban leadership based in Peshawar and Quetta, authorities in Pakistan have said that they are opposed to taking military action against the latter on the nation's soil.

The country's foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz said that such policy has not yielded results for 14 long years.

"Afghanistan has been insisting that if the peace negotiations do not start, then other option should be tried. But that option has been used for 14 years but it has not produced any result," Khaama Press quoted him as saying.

Following the deadly attack in capital Kabul which killed at least 64 people and 347 others wounded, President Ghani ordered the Afghan security institutions to start crackdown against the Taliban groups pursuing violence.

 

He even asked Islamabad to take actions against the sanctuaries of the groups in its soil.

Afghan President in his remarks also announced government's stance towards peace efforts and fight against terrorism and said that Kabul expects Pakistan to bring the Taliban to the negotiation table.

To which Aziz replied, "Results cannot be achieved in weeks but it takes time. I do not see any other option to bring peace to Afghanistan."

The insurgent group had rejected the proposed direct peace talks with Afghan government last month and instead announced their spring offensive.

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First Published: May 04 2016 | 1:43 PM IST

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