Pakistan's Foreign Office on Thursday urged the Taliban government in Afghanistan to take strong action against the perpetrators involved in the deadly attack on December 12 at an army post in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Dera Ismail Khan and hand them over to Islamabad. At least 23 Pakistani soldiers were killed in the attack, considered the deadliest this year.
Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that six militants stormed the post but their attempts were foiled, after which they rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the gate and carried out a mortar attack.. The Tehreek-e-Jihad (TJP), a militant group affiliated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the attack.
"We have noted the Afghan interim government statement that it will investigate the terrorist attack of Dec 12... Afghanistan must take strong action against perpetrators of this heinous attack and hand them over to Pakistan along with the TTP leadership in Afghanistan," said Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahrah Baloch on Thursday, Dawn reported.
Baloch went on to say that Pakistan also expected the Afghan government to “take concrete and verifiable steps to prevent the use of Afghan soil by terrorist entities” and welcomed the UN Security Council's messages of condolences after the attack. “They have also urged all states to cooperate actively with the Government of Pakistan as well as all relevant authorities in this regard,” she added.
She also rejected reports of the government engaging in dialogue with TTP, which has been responsible for several deadly attacks across Pakistan after a ceasefire between them was violated.
Pakistan issues demarche after DI Khan attack
On Tuesday, Pakistan summoned Afghanistan's Chargé d'Affaires in Islamabad to deliver the country's strong demarche after a deadly attack. Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Syrus Sajjad Qazi called on the envoy to immediately convey to the Afghan interim government to properly investigate and take stern action in the matter.
Qazi also demanded the Afghan government to publicly condemn the deadly incident at the highest level, and take immediate verifiable actions against all terrorist groups in their territory - including their leadership and sanctuaries.
In response to the demarche, the Afghan Taliban government on Wednesday promised to probe the terror attack, but also asked Islamabad to refrain from blaming Kabul for every problem. “We are shocked at the attack in Pakistan. We will look into the demands made by Pakistan,” said Taliban chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, while asking Pakistan to bolster its security.
He also said that Kabul did not allow anyone to use its soil against Pakistan or any other country. “We will investigate if we receive any information,” Mujahid added.
Security situation in Pakistan
Pakistan has witnessed a dramatic spike in militant attacks, mainly in its border regions with Afghanistan, since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, especially from the TTP, which shares a similar ideological base and has been said to have taken refuge on Afghan soil.
Earlier in January this year, TTP militants unleashed an explosion in a crowded mosque inside a highly secured police compound in the city of Peshawar, resulting in the killing of at least 100 security personnel. However, while Pakistan has stated that hostile groups operate from "sanctuaries" across the border, the Taliban government routinely denies the charges.
Meanwhile, The Express Tribune newspaper reported that Pakistan is contemplating a serious retaliation in response to today's attack in Dera Ismail Khan, the deadliest against security forces in several years. "Pakistan will not let go the perpetrators of this heinous attack unpunished," a source familiar with the development.
