Pakistan closes down Afghan border amid terror attacks

Security forces launched a nationwide crackdown on Friday after a surge in recent terror attacks in Pakistan including the bombing at Sufi shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan, in Sindh, which killed at least 75 people and injured more than 250.

Pakistan has seen a dramatic improvement in security in the past two years, but there have been multiple attacks this week.

On February 12, a cameraman, Taimur from Samaa News was killed when the channels 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.

Thursday's attack in Sehwan was also part of the same wave in the country, and the fifth blast in less than a week targeting innocent people.

According to the Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor, the Afghan officials were handed a list of 76 terrorists hiding in Afghanistan. The Afghan government was asked to either take immediate action against them or hand them over to Pakistan.

Pakistan on Thursday also closed the border for Afghanistan with immediate effect till further notice over security reasons.

Both the federal and provincial law enforcement authorities and police started a crackdown across the country before dawn, and scores of suspects have been arrested from different cities, a government official speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP. He said the sweeping operation will continue for the coming days.

Pakistan Chief of Army Staff, Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has called the nation to stay calm, in wake of recent terrorist attacks.

"Your security forces shall not allow hostile powers to succeed. We stand for our nation," said COAS Bajwa, as per a tweet shared by Major Gen Asif Ghaffor.