Pakistan reiterates demand for action against Afghan terrorist sanctuaries

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Friday telephoned Afghan National Security Adviser Hanif Atmar and once again demanded action against Taliban splinter group, Jamat-ul-Ahrar, as fifth terrorist attack within a week hit the country a day ago.

According to a Foreign Office press release, in the telephone conversation the Adviser said that the JuA is perpetuating the recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan, which has left the nation in a deep state of anguish.

“He (Sartaj Aziz) expressed serious concern that JuA continued to operate from its sanctuaries and safe haven in Afghanistan for undertaking terrorism in Pakistan and the Government of Afghanistan had not paid a heed to Pakistan's repeated calls on the Afghan government to take action against the group and its activities based in Afghanistan,” the presser read.

The FO statement said that Pakistan has also shared a list of suspected JuA terrorists with the Government of Afghanistan for action against them.

The Adviser emphasised that terrorism is a common threat to both Afghanistan and Pakistan, adding that it was imperative that the Afghan government should take strong action against such elements and ascertain that the Afghan soil is not to be used for such purposes.

Aziz also said that bilateral cooperation to effectively combat terrorism is crucial for both the neighbouring countries, adding that effective border management is of sheer importance to curb cross border terrorist movement.

The Afghan National Security Adviser expressed his government's condolences over the loss of lives in the recent wave of terrorist incidents in Pakistan.

On Feb 15, Pakistan had summoned the Afghan deputy head of mission to the Foreign Office to convey its concerns over continuing attacks by terrorist outfit Jamaat-ul-Ahrar from its sanctuaries inside Afghanistan.

In wake of the recent wave of terrorism, the civil-military leadership of the country jumped into action.

The Pakistan-Afghanistan border has been closed with immediate effect due to security reasons, the Inter Services Public Relations had informed hours after the attack in Sehwan shrine. The Afghan embassy officials were summoned at General Headquarters today and a list of 76 terrorists has been given to the officials at the Afghan embassy so that action is taken against them. 

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif termed it an attack on Pakistan’s future, saying that perpetrators will be dealt iron-handedly. Meanwhile, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa said "each drop of the nation’s blood shall be revenged and revenged immediately."

Pakistan on Thursday witnessed a fifth blast in less than a week. The attack in Sufi shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan claimed 88 lives and injured up to 343.

On February 12, a cameraman, Taimur from Samaa News was killed when the channel’s DSNG van was attacked.

On February 13, a suicide attack in Lahore killed 14 people and wounded over 60 others.

On February 15, three suicide bombers targeted Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the adjoining tribal areas leaving around seven people dead. One of the incidents occurred in Peshawar where a suicide bomber riding a motorbike hit a vehicle carrying civil judges, while two other suicide bombers blew themselves up at separate locations in Mohmand Agency.