[DAWN] Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf...
during a presser in Kabul on Tuesday strongly condemned the surge in attacks by the Afghan Taliban under their Operation Azm offensive, which Pakistain termed as acts of terrorism.
"All sanctuaries, when found, will be eliminated by direct action, and will be monitored by the existing mechanism," Nawaz said, adding "Any effort by any bad boy or group to destabilise Afghanistan will be dealt with severely and such elements will be outlawed and hunted down."
"In case of terrorist activity, both Pakistain and Afghanistan retain the right of counter actions in conjunction ... We agreed that peace and stability in the region will remain elusive until the menace of terrorism afflicting the region is comprehensively addressed," he added.
The prime minister expressed confidence that Pakistain and Afghanistan would succeed in rooting out the menace of terrorism through their firm determination and by adopting a comprehensive and coordinated strategy.
He said that Pakistain had the highest stake in a peaceful and stable Afghanistan.