Pakistan summons Afghan envoy, protests over cross-border attack

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tuesday strongly condemned the cross-border terrorist attack at Pakistani check posts in Bajaur Agency that resulted in the martyrdom of two Pakistani military personnel - Captain Junaid Hafeez and Sepoy Raham.

According to the Foreign Office, the Afghan charge’ d’ affaires in this regard was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a strong protest was lodged with the Afghan government over this incident.

Pakistan, the Foreign Office said, had been witnessing a surge in terrorist attacks on its security forces deployed along the Pak-Afghan border, who were engaged in strengthening border management.

The cross-border terrorist attacks on Pakistani forces, it added, confirmed the presence of a large number of terrorists in the increasingly ungoverned spaces in Afghanistan.

It said the forces supporting these acts of terrorism against Pakistan, who had been allowed to use the Afghan soil, were a serious threat to peace and stability in Afghanistan, and the region.

This was also demonstrated earlier this month when elements inimical to peace and security in the region had targeted and martyred a Pakistani diplomatic official in Jalalabad.

Pakistan called upon the Afghan government to take immediate action against the terrorists and terrorist groups finding sanctuaries in Afghanistan to target Pakistani security forces.

Strengthening the border management was critical to preventing such cross border attacks, it noted.