The Foreign Office (FO) Tuesday demanded Afghanistan’s interim government investigate the deadly suicide attack in Dera Ismail Khan that martyred more than 20 soldiers.
At least 23 soldiers embraced martyrdom when militants rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a Pakistani military base, the army said, in an attack claimed by affiliates of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
In response, Foreign Secretary Syrus Sajjad Qazi summoned Afghanistan’s top diplomat in Islamabad to deliver Pakistan’s strong demarche.
“The attack[‘s] responsibility has been claimed by the Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan, a terrorist group affiliated with the TTP,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
The statement mentioned that the envoy was asked to immediately convey to the Afghan interim government to fully investigate and take stern action against the perpetrators of the recent attack.
Qazi demanded that the Afghan government, while publicly condemning the terrorist incident at the highest level, take immediate verifiable actions against all terrorist groups — including their leadership — and their sanctuaries.
The foreign secretary further said the neighbouring nation should apprehend and hand over the perpetrators of the attack and the TTP leadership in Afghanistan to the Pakistani government.
“[They] should also take all necessary measures to deny the persistent use of Afghan soil for terrorism against Pakistan,” the statement mentioned.
