ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has lodged a strong protest with the Afghan interim government by summoning its deputy head of mission to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by delivering a strong demarche over the deadly terrorist attack on Bannu Cantonment on 15 July 2024 by Afghanistan-based Hafiz Gul Bahadur terror group in which eight soldiers were martyred.
“The Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Afghanistan in Islamabad was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deliver Pakistan’s strong demarche over the deadly terrorist attack on Bannu Cantonment on 15 July 2024, which resulted in the martyrdom of eight security personnel and injured several others,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said.
She said that the terrorist attack was carried out by the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group based in Afghanistan. Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, along with Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of civilians and law enforcement officials in multiple terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.
She said that the interim Afghan government was 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 against Pakistan using the territory of Afghanistan.
“Pakistan reiterated its serious concerns over the presence of terror 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 spokesperson added.
She said that 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,” she added.
Pakistan has been witnessing a surge in terrorist attacks in recent months that it blames on the terror groups, including the TTP and Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group based in Afghanistan. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan (TTA)-led interim government, however, denies that it allows its territory to be used by militants and describes the surge in terror attacks as an internal matter of Pakistan.
The Afghan interim government is also yet to respond to the latest summoning of its diplomat in Islamabad, as reports also claim that an Afghan national was involved in the Bannu terror attack.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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