Army chief General Raheel Sharif has assured the Turkish civil leadership of complete support in tackling security challenges, the ISPR said on Tuesday. In separate meetings with General Raheel in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu appreciated Pakistan’s role for regional peace as well as contributions of Pakistan Army in defeating terrorism. The Turkish leadership emphasised fraternal ties between the two brotherly nations, the ISPR added. The COAS also met the defence minister of Turkey, and agreed to further enhancing defence collaboration between the two countries. The visit comes in the aftermath of terrorist attack in Ankara when two suspected suicide bombers hit a rally of pro-Kurdish and leftist activists outside the main train station, causing the loss of 86 lives. Although the threat by the IS to both Turkey and Pakistan is real, the way it manifests itself is different in both countries. The IS is in the run-up and proselytising stage in Pakistan, and is probably below operational capacity, whereas for Turkey it is across the border in Syria where it controls and administers large swathes of land across the Fertile Crescent, is militarily potent and exceedingly well-funded by a range of Gulf countries. It is operational in Turkey with considerable capacity. Whilst the bombing campaign by Russia and its allies, as well as one by an American coalition — at least one of whose members also funds the IS — will be degrading the group’s capacity, it is far from weakened to the point at which it can be rolled back. There is much that can be shared, particularly on the technical side dealing with improvised munitions, but for both countries, the creation of a countervailing anti-terrorist narrative has to be of paramount importance. This requires a convergence of military and civilian goals that will bridge the divide between the two. In political terms, this is a difficult trick to pull off in both Turkey and Pakistan, but is something that must be pursued with vigour.
pk.shafaqna.com
pk.shafaqna.com
