TTP threatens Pakistan's security forces, rejects sectarian war in PoGB

Chilas [PoGB], February 13 (ANI): A newly released video message attributed to Tehreek-e-Taliban Diamer Gilgit Baltistan has triggered alarm after the group signalled potential attacks on Pakistan's security establishment while simultaneously claiming it is not at war with any religious sect.

In a video released on Facebook, the outfit said that its fight is directed at the Pakistan Army, intelligence services, including the ISI and MI, and the police. The group attempted to draw a distinction between its campaign against state institutions and the region's diverse religious communities, insisting that Shias, Sunnis and Ismailis are not its enemies.

The message further claimed that Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB) does not suffer from an inherent Shia-Sunni divide. Instead, the speakers argued that ordinary citizens should maintain unity and avoid falling into sectarian confrontation; with this message, they opposed the Pakistani army's actions in the region for a long period of time.

Diamer Deputy Commissioner Ataur Rehman Kakar said an improvised explosive device detonated around 11:16 am on Thursday, close to Tangir Bridge, roughly a kilometre away from the FWO's Tangir camp.

According to him, no group had stepped forward to accept responsibility at the time of speaking. Those hurt in the explosion were transported to public hospitals in Chilas.

Caretaker ministers in Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan, along with representatives of political and religious parties and voices from civil society, denounced the incident and pressed authorities to move decisively against militant elements, as highlighted by Dawn.

The region has seen similar violence in the past. On August 29 last year, armed attackers opened fire at a security post on the Karakoram Highway in Diamer, killing two members of the Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts and injuring another.

Within days, on August 31, fighters targeted a police patrol near Babusar Top in neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, leaving four officers wounded, as reported by Dawn.(ANI)

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