Islamabad, February 19: Pakistan has issued a formal protest to the Taliban government of Afghanistan following a recent terrorist attack in the Bajaur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Pakistani government alleges that Afghan territory was used to carry out this attack.
According to local media reports, the Pakistan Foreign Office summoned the Deputy Chief of the Afghan Mission to deliver the protest note. The statement condemned the vehicle-borne suicide attack on military and law enforcement checkpoints in Bajaur, which was followed by gunfire. This attack has been linked to the banned group Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), referred to as ‘Fitna al-Khawarij’.
Pakistan claims that TTP leadership operates freely from within Afghanistan. The country has previously received assurances from Afghanistan, but asserts that no concrete actions have been taken to address the issue.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistani military, reported that on Monday, a vehicle packed with explosives attacked a checkpoint in Bajaur, resulting in the deaths of 11 security personnel. In retaliation, the military claimed to have killed 12 terrorists.
Earlier this month, Afghanistan’s National Defense Ministry dismissed Pakistan’s accusations regarding an attack on a mosque in Islamabad on February 6, labeling them as “irresponsible and baseless.” This statement came after Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif indicated on social media that initial investigations suggested the attackers had crossed over from Afghanistan.
The Afghan National Defense Ministry stated that blaming Afghanistan without a thorough investigation is irresponsible. They noted that a similar pattern has been observed in other incidents, including those in Balochistan. The ministry emphasized that there is “no rationale or basis” for linking such attacks to Afghanistan and that Pakistan cannot hide its internal security failures through these claims.
Furthermore, the Afghan ministry questioned why the attackers were not apprehended if their identities were known so quickly. It reiterated that inflicting harm on innocent civilians is unacceptable under any circumstances and urged Pakistan to take responsibility for its internal security shortcomings and reassess its policies.
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