As Pakistan wages an offensive against

militants, tensions with Afghanistan rise

Internally displaced Pakistanis, fleeing a military
operation in the North Waziristan tribal agency, wait in line outside a World Food Programme aid
distribution centre in Bannu on June 25, 2014. (A Majeed/AFP/Getty Images)
BY
AND TIM CRAIGSHAIQ HUSSAIN June 26
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan Pakistan has evacuated more than 450,000 civilians from a
terrorist!la"ued district in the north#estern !art of the countr$, %ut its offensive
a"ainst the militants there is com!licated %$ fresh tension #ith nei"h%orin"
Af"hanistan&
'ith the (orth 'a)iristan cam!ai"n in its second #eek, officials sa$ most civilians
have left the remote, mountainous area, home to thousands of militants affiliated #ith
the Pakistani *ali%an and "rou!s such as the +a,,ani net#ork& More than -50
militants have %een killed, and militar$ commanders sa$ a fullscale "round invasion is
imminent&
*he area.s !orous %order #ith Af"hanistan makes it likel$, ho#ever, that some
militants have esca!ed& Pakistan sa$s Af"hanistan is not doin" enou"h to %olster
surveillance of its side of the %order& Pakistani *ali%an leader Mullah /a)lullah is
thou"ht to live in Af"hanistan, and Pakistani Prime Minister (a#a) Sharif has
!ersonall$ a!!ealed to Af"han President +amid 0ar)ai to hel! dislod"e him&
So far, there has %een no action on the !art of the Af"han "overnment to dismantle
1Pakistani *ali%an2 hideouts,3 said Pakistani Ma4& 5en& Asim Ba4#a& 6'e #ant them to
take action&3
In recent da$s, Af"han commanders have %een lar"el$ dismissive of such concerns,
sa$in" the$ are doin" all the$ can to hel! their Pakistani counter!arts&
0ar)ai.s securit$ forces have %een locked in a
nearl$ #eeklon" %attle #ith hundreds of
Af"han *ali%an militants in the southern
!rovince of +elmand& 7n *hursda$, Af"han
officials accused Pakistani militar$ and
intelli"ence officials of su!!ortin" the
Af"han militants&
/rom a securit$ !oint of vie#, #e have
taken all necessar$ measures to make sure
that com%atants, destructive elements and
intelli"ence infiltrators are not amon"st the
refu"ees #ho have come to this side3 of the
%order, said A%dul +asi% Seddi,i, a
s!okesman for the Af"han (ational
Directorate of Securit$& 6*here is no
Pakistani *ali%an leader or "rou! that
o!erates in Af"hanistan& & & Pakistan makes
such accusations in order to 4ustif$ its rocket
attacks on our soil&3
8&S& officials have %een st$mied for $ears in their efforts to "et Pakistan and
Af"hanistan to #ork to"ether to com%at %order terrorists& *he challen"e is takin" on
more ur"enc$ as American forces continue to dra# do#n in Af"hanistan&
*he Pakistani *ali%an and the Af"han *ali%an claim to %e inde!endent of each other,
%ut the$ are thou"ht to coordinate some activities& /or $ears, militar$ and intelli"ence
officials on %oth sides have traded accusations of secretl$ su!!ortin" the other
countr$.s *ali%an "rou!&

Men carry a person who fainted while
queuing up to receive food supplies at a
distribution point for those fleeing the military
offensive against militants in North
Waziristan, in Bannu, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
province. (Stringer/Reuters)
Af"han intelli"ence is full of antiPakistani !eo!le, and so is the to! leadershi! of the
Af"han arm$, so #h$ #ould the$ hel! Pakistan93 asked retired 5en& :aved Ashraf ;a)i,
a former head of Pakistan.s InterServices Intelli"ence a"enc$&
*he militar$ launched the (orth 'a)iristan assault :une <5 after a %ra)en attack %$
the Pakistani *ali%an on 0arachi.s air!ort a%out a #eek earlier&
8nlike in some !revious militar$ o!erations, 8nlike in some !revious militar$
o!erations, officials insist that the on"oin" offensive #ill tar"et not onl$ the Pakistani
*ali%an %ut also the +a,,ani net#ork, #hich has %een linked to attacks on 8&S& troo!s
in Af"hanistan&
*he net#ork is sus!ected of !ast ties to Pakistani intelli"ence a"encies& But last #eek,
5en& =ashad Mahmood, chairman of Pakistan.s :oint >hiefs of Staff >ommittee,
re!eatedl$ stressed to Penta"on leaders and 8&S& la#makers that the +a,,ani net#ork
#ill %e driven out of (orth 'a)iristan in the o!eration&
*he arm$ is sa$in", and the im!ression ever$one is carr$in" is, the$ are "oin" to "o all
the #a$ this time,3 said Shaukat ;adir, a retired Pakistani arm$ %ri"adier #ho
maintains close contact #ith activedut$ leaders& 6And %$ all the #a$, that means
ever$%od$ ever$%od$ #e didn.t like and ever$%od$ #e did like&3
*he militar$.s anti*ali%an cam!ai"n in the S#at ?alle$ in the late @000s has served as
a %lue!rint for the current offensive& As in S#at, the first !hase of this offensive
involved evacuatin" civilians& A%out 45A,000 Pakistanis have left, most resettlin" in
near%$ 0h$%er Pakhtunkh#a !rovince or other !arts of Pakistan&
At least A5,000 have moved to Af"hanistan.s 0host !rovince, accordin" to the 8nited
(ations&
=ecent intervie#s #ith some of the dis!laced residents su""est that man$ militants
also have fled the area&
*he o!eration seems to %e a"ainst the !eo!le of 'a)iristan and em!t$ houses, as the
4et fi"hters are %om%in" em!t$ s!aces %ecause there are no militants left,3 said 5ul
Baman, -5, a schoolteacher from (orth 'a)iristan&
But Ba4#a said careful screenin" has 6tra!!ed3 militants #ho have tried to esca!e&
Anal$sts remain ske!tical&
*his #eek, Af"han Defense Minister Bismillah 0han Mohammadi accused Pakistan
of sendin" !lainclothes a"ents into Af"hanistan.s 0onar !rovince #ho carried out
attacks that killed Af"han troo!s and civilians&
Pakistan.s /orei"n Ministr$ denied the alle"ations& *o resolve the tension, 0ar)ai.s
national securit$ adviser traveled to Islama%ad on *hursda$ and met #ith Sharif and
other to! Pakistani officials&
Sa$ed Salahuddin in 0a%ul and +a, (a#a) 0han in Pesha#ar, Pakistan, contri%uted
to this re!ort&