Terrorists behind Gwadar, Quetta attacks came from Afghanistan: Sheikh Rashid

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Monday that terrorists behind attacks in Gwadar and Quetta have been identified, adding that both had come from Afghanistan.

Pakistan has seen an increase in terrorism-related incidents in recent months with the latest one having been carried out in Quetta on Sunday. Four FC personnel were martyred, and another 20 people were injured when a suicide bomber targeted security officials at Mastung Road, Quetta.

An attack also killed two children and injured four others, including a Chinese national, when a suicide bomber blew himself up targeting a vehicle carrying Chinese nationals in Gwadar last month.

Addressing a press briefing in Islamabad on Monday, Rashid said both suicide bombers had come from Afghanistan, and pressure is being created on Pakistan in terms of the security situation.

"I will address a detailed press conference once the government is formed there," he said.

Rashid added that Afghanistan, which will soon see the formation of a new regime under the Taliban, will play a crucial part in international politics in the future. "The new political scenario in Afghanistan is a reality," he remarked.

Not a single Afghani given refugee status as yet: Rashid

He reiterated that the Taliban leadership has assured Pakistan that Afghan soil will not be used against the country, maintaining that situation at the Torkham border is normal and the government has not established any refugee camp in the country.

He pointed out that India's spy agency RAW and NDS have faced embarrassment at an international level after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan.

US has really messed it up in Afghanistan: PM Imran

CPEC initiative welcomed

Meanwhile, in response to a query, the interior minister said that Pakistan welcomes the Taliban's desire to become part of the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

He said the CPEC is the jugular vein of Pakistan, and the friendship between Pakistan and China is higher than the Himalayas. He said Pakistan desires peace and stability in Afghanistan and the progress of both countries is interlinked.

"Pakistan is proud of its friendship with China and if the Taliban hold similar views, then it is really good," said Rashid.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid had earlier said that the group supports China's One Belt, One Road initiative that seeks to link China with Africa, Asia and Europe through an enormous network of ports, railways, roads and industrial parks.

'Politics of PML-N and PPP has ended'

Regarding the opposition's protest against the government, Rashid said that the opposition will never succeed in their objectives. "The politics of both Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Peoples Party has ended," he said.