Islamabad (January 11, 2018): Pakistan said the recent terrorist attack in Quetta has been traced back to Afghanistan.
At his weekly news briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal stated this reinforces our stance that the terrorist safe havens in Afghanistan are being used for attacks on Pakistani territory. He said these attacks must stop.
The spokesperson denied the presence of Daesh and Taliban leadership in Pakistan.
Responding to a question, the Foreign Office Spokesperson said that both Pakistan and the United States continue to communication with each other on various issues of mutual interests at different levels.
He pointed out that Pakistan has been facilitating the US led mission in Afghanistan through air and ground lines of communication for the last sixteen years.
He said Pakistan’s support to the US has been critical in dealing with the challenges of terrorism in the region.
He said our cooperation also helped to secure the region and decimate Al-Qaeda which has also been acknowledged by the US leadership.
We have conveyed to the US that actionable intelligence sharing can help in advancing the shared goals of defeating terror from the region.
The spokesperson reminded that Pakistan has fought the war on terror largely from its own resources which cost it 120 billion dollars over the last fifteen years.
He said arbitrary deadlines, unilateral pronouncements and shifting goalposts are counterproductive in addressing the common threat.
To a question, Dr Muhammad Faisal stated that Pakistan desires dignified and sustainable repatriation of Afghan refugees to their homeland.
Responding to a question, the spokesperson said that Pakistan desires to resolve all outstanding disputes with India including Jammu and Kashmir, Siachen and Sir Creek through dialogue. He said dialogue can only be held if the other side is also ready for the same.
Voicing concerns over the Indian atrocities in occupied Kashmir, the spokesperson said that India needs to accept the reality that it cannot silence the Kashmiri freedom movement through the use of force.
Earlier on Wednesday, top Pakistani civilian and military officials briefed foreign ambassadors and heads of resident missions in Islamabad on Pakistan’s achievements and challenges in counter-terrorism efforts, and combating violent extremism.
Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua, Chief of General Staff (CGS) Lt Gen Bilal Akbar, and the directors general of Military Operations and Military Intelligence briefed members of the diplomatic corps at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In his address with the participants, the foreign minister said that the briefing had been arranged to inform the diplomatic corps about the massive counter-terrorism efforts that Pakistan had undertaken in the last 16 years, more so the developments in the last 4 years.
The diplomats were provided details about the success of Operation Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fassad, which had eliminated terrorist presence in Pakistan, according to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“They were also briefed about the terrorist threat emanating from the safe havens and sanctuaries in Afghanistan, resulting in loss of human lives and damage to infrastructure in Pakistan,” it said.
The ambassadors and heads of missions were also briefed on how “Indian belligerence and unhelpful posturing is distracting Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts and how an active RAW-NDS nexus is verifiably working to undermine Pakistan’s internal stability.”
The members of the diplomatic corps were shown evidence of an Indian campaign of unprecedented ceasefire violations, provocations and insinuations including terrorism in the form of IED attacks against innocent civilians on the Pakistan side of the LoC and the WB.
These Indian activities constitute an unfortunate “New Normal” aimed at destabilising the entire region, the statement said further.
The foreign diplomats condoled the loss of human lives in the terrorist attack in Quetta yesterday.
At least seven people, including four personnel of the Balochistan Constabulary, were martyred and 17 others injured in a suicide bombing near the provincial assembly building in Quetta on Tuesday.
The Chief of General Staff thanked them and informed the members that Tuesday’s terrorist attack had been traced back to Afghanistan.
Moreover, the members of the diplomatic corps appreciated the comprehensive and detailed briefing by the top-ranking civilian and military officials of Pakistan.
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