The commander of Pakistan’s army says Islamabad would not allow even the shadow of the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group into the country.

“As far as Daesh is concerned, in Pakistan, even a shadow of Daesh would not be allowed,” General Raheel Sharif said Friday, calling Daesh a greater threat than al-Qaeda.

The general admitted that some groups in the country are trying to prepare the ground for Daesh activity.

“There are people in Islamabad who want to show their allegiance to Daesh. So it's a very dangerous phenomenon,” Sharif said in an address to The Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies in London.

People in northwestern Pakistan have reported the circulation of leaflets backing Daesh terrorists in the region. Slogans in support of the group have also been seen on the walls in a number of towns.

Back in May, Daesh claimed responsibility for an attack on members of the Shia Ismaili minority in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi. Over 40 people were killed.

Sharif said, however, that the fight against Daesh Takfiris is becoming more significant than the battle against al-Qaeda militants after the September 11, 2011 attacks in the United States.

“I feel the future challenge is Daesh. It's a bigger name. Al-Qaeda was a name but Daesh is now a bigger name,” he said.

Threat of a dangerous alliance

The top Pakistani commander also warned about the increasing presence of Daesh in neighboring Afghanistan, saying the government in Kabul must expedite its efforts for engaging in reconciliation talks with the Taliban, otherwise it would see a threatening alliance between the militant group and Daesh.

“This reconciliation in Afghanistan is very important. If we do not do it in the proper manner and the Afghan Taliban splinter, they would go for a bigger name and that is Daesh,” Sharif said.

Afghanistan blames Pakistan for its failure in curbing militants in border areas, and sometimes accuses elements in the Pakistani army for providing support to the militants. The Taliban recently took control of the city of Kunduz and other northern Afghanistan districts for several days.

Islamabad, known for its support for the Taliban in the 1990s, mediated the first direct talks between the militant group and Kabul in July, but a next meeting was cancelled following the announcement of the death of the Taliban founder Mullah Omar.