Khar, June 16: Following Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s statement threatening attacks against Taliban in Pakistan, the local Taliban in Pakistan have warned of intensifying their attacks inside Afghanistan if the Afghan forces attacked Pakistan’s Tribal Areas.

A Tehreek-e-Taliban spokesman reportedly claimed that the Afghan President’s statement was aimed at “averting the world’s attention from their defeat”.

Addressing news persons, Karzai reportedly said on Sunday, “in self-defence, Afghanistan has the right to destroy terrorist nests on the other side of the border. When they cross the border from Pakistan to come and kill Afghans and coalition troops, it gives us exactly the right to go back and do the same.”

This is being described as the toughest comments Karzai has ever made on stamping out militancy along the Pak-Afghan border.

Meanwhile, in an TV interview, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani took a strong exception to Karzai’s statement and declared that Pakistan will not allow anyone to interfere in its internal affairs.

“We will neither interfere in the internal affairs of any country, nor allow anyone to interfere in our affairs. Such statements will not help in the normalisation of friendly relations between the two countries and will hurt the sentiments of people,” the Daily Times quoted Gilani as saying while reacting to Karzai’s statement.

Pakistan wanted “friendly” ties with Kabul, the Pakistan PM said and added that he was taking all possible measure to stop militant activity across border.

The country’s Foreign Office said in a statement that only Pakistani troops would take action against terrorists on the Pakistani side of the border and statements to the contrary would be counterproductive in the war on terror. (ANI)