Armed group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has warned the country’s main ruling parties of “concrete action” against their top leadership in the government for “declaring war” against it.
A statement released by the TTP – also known as Pakistani Taliban for its ideological affinity with the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan – on Wednesday explicitly named Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
“For a long time, TTP has not taken any action against political parties,” TTP spokesman Muhammad Khorasani said in the statement shared with news agencies.
“But if these two parties remain firm on their position … then action will be taken against the leaders of these parties. People should avoid going near them,” it said.
“[Our] target is Pakistan’s security forces who are acting against the country’s interest upon wishes of the West,” it added.
The TTP statement also included a note of caution for Pakistan’s religion-based political parties, urging them not to be a part of any action against the group.
The TTP threat came two days after Pakistan’s top security body, the National Security Committee (NSC), announced its resolve to have “zero tolerance for terrorism” in the country and “reaffirmed its determination to take on any and all entities that resort to violence”.
