Civil activists in Paktia province of Afghanistan, declared August 14, the Independence Day of Pakistan, as a "black day" in the history of the region.
"Civil activists in Paktia province, declared 14th August, the Pakistan's Independence Day as a black day in the history of the region," tweeted former Strategic Communications Director and spokesperson at the Office of National Security Council of Afghanistan Tawab Ghorzang.
Civil activists in Paktia province, declared 14th August, the Pakistan's Independence Day as a black day in the history of the region (1) pic.twitter.com/mX9ryxf7Ix
— Tawab Ghorzang (@TawabGhorzang1) August 14, 2017
He also said that the activists expressed their dislike for the "Pakistan Army terrorism sponsoring agenda".
They also expressed their dislikes for the Pak Army Terrorism Sponsoring Agenda (2).
— Tawab Ghorzang (@TawabGhorzang1) August 14, 2017
Paktia is located along the Durand Line close to the tribal regions of Pakistan, which is home to several Taliban insurgents and the Haqqani Network.
Insurgency activities, including coordinated attacks on government and security compounds, are often carried out by the militants in this province.
U.S. President Donald Trump has recently said that his administration is getting close to a decision on an updated strategy for the war in Afghanistan.
As per CNN, US National Security Adviser HR McMaster recommended an increase the number of U.S. troops in war-ravaged Afghanistan to bolster American forces in the country.
Terrorism in Pakistan has become a major and highly destructive phenomenon in recent years.
Pakistan has long been accused by its neighbours India and Afghanistan and western nations like the United States and the United Kingdom of its involvement in terrorist activities in the region and beyond.
In July, the United States withheld the disbursement of USD 350 million in aid to Pakistan after Pentagon chief Jim Mattis informed the Congress that Islamabad had not taken sufficient measures to counter the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani Network.
Pakistan was allotted USD 900 million aid through the special fund by the United States. And it had already received USD 550 million funds out of the allotted aid.
The move came after the Trump administration retained Pakistan's name in its list of nations and regions providing "safe havens" to terrorists.
In its annual 'Country Report on Terrorism', as mandated by the Congress, the State Department said that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) continue to operate, train, organise and fundraise inside Islamabad and Pakistani military and security forces undertook operations against groups that conducted attacks within Pakistan such as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.
"Pakistan did not take substantial action against the Afghan Taliban or Haqqani, or substantially limit their ability to threaten US interests in Afghanistan, although Pakistan supported efforts to bring both groups into an Afghan-led peace process," the State Department said.
"Pakistan did not take sufficient action against other externally focused groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in 2016, which continued to operate, train, organise, and fundraise in Pakistan," the report said.
The U.S. officials have often accused Pakistan of helping the militants, a charge Islamabad vehemently denies.
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