• Foreign ministry summons Afghan embassy official, delivers strong demarche
• US urges end to terror attacks from Afghan soil

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan called for “immediate, robust and effective action” by the interim Afghan government against the perpetrators of the recent terrorist attack on Bannu Cantonment in which eight military personnel were martyred and many others injured.

According to a Foreign Office statement, the deputy head of mission of the Embassy of Afghanistan in Islamabad was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday to deliver Pakistan’s strong demarche over the deadly terrorist attack.

The attack was carried out by the Afghanistan-based Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group. “Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, along with Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of civilians and law enforcement officials in multiple terrorist attacks inside Pakistan,” it said.

The interim Afghan government is urged to fully investigate and take immediate, robust and effective action against the perpetrators of the Bannu attack and to prevent the recurrence of such attacks, the statement said.

Islamabad reiterated its serious concerns over the presence of terrorist outfits inside Afghanistan that continue to threaten Pakistan’s security. Such incidents also go against the spirit of bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries.

“The Bannu Cantonment attack is yet another reminder of the serious threat posed by terrorism to regional peace and security. Pakistan reiterates the call for decisive action against terrorism and remains steadfast in its commitment to combat this menace and to uphold its security against all threats,” it said.

The military’s media wing had on Tuesday said that an attempt by 10 terrorists to enter Bannu Cantonment on Monday morning was “effectively thwarted” by security forces, “which forced the terrorists to ram an explosive-laden vehicle into perimeter wall of the cantonment”.

The statement had attributed the “heinous act of terrorism” to the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, “which operates from Afghanistan and has used Afghan soil to orchestrate acts of terrorism inside Pakistan in the past as well”.

It added that Pakistan had consistently raised its concerns with the interim Afghan government, asking it to deny the persistent use of Afghan soil by the terrorists and take effective action against such elements.

Relations between the two neighbouring countries have lately become strained, largely because of the banned TTP but also due to frequent border skirmishes.

Last month, the Afghan defence ministry’s spokesman angrily reacted to Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s remarks when the latter said Islamabad could hit the outlawed TTP’s hideouts in Afghanistan.

Leaders of the Afghanistan interim government held a meeting with Pakistani officials in Doha earlier this month in what was seen as an effort to ease tension following the anno­uncement of a fresh operation against the banned TTP.

Zabihullah Mujahid, leader of the Afghan Taliban delegation at the Doha talks, had described his meeting with Pakistani diplomats as “good” and expressed the hope for developing “positive relations” with Pakistan.

The US State Department called on the Afghan Taliban to prevent the use of Afghan territory for launching attacks into Pakistan.

During a news briefing in Washington the other day, the department spokesperson Matthew Miller noted that Pakistani people had suffered greatly at the hands of violent extremists and terrorists.

“We have shared interests with the Pakistani people [and] the government of Pakistan in combating threats to regional security,” he said while responding to a question. “We do continue to urge the Taliban to ensure that terrorist attacks are not launched from Afghan soil. That has been a priority for us in engagements with them and continues to be.”

Anwar Iqbal in Washington also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2024