Key Points
- Pakistan summons Afghan chargé d’affaires over Karachi terrorist attack.
- Strong demarche also delivered by Pakistan’s ambassador in Kabul.
- Foreign Office says Afghan nationals, including one captured alive, took part in the attack.
- Islamabad says the incident demonstrates Afghan soil continues to be used for attacks against Pakistan.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday summoned the Afghan chargé d’affaires to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and issued a strong Démarche over the recent terrorist attack on a Pakistan Rangers camp in Karachi.
According to the Foreign Office, the involvement of Afghan nationals in the assault substantiates Islamabad’s longstanding concerns over the use of Afghan territory for cross-border terrorism.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Afghan diplomat was called to the Foreign Office on Sunday night.
Pakistani authorities formally conveyed a strong demarche over the Afghan nationals’ involvement in the June 27 terrorist attack on the Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) camp in Karachi.
Pakistan also instructed its Ambassador to Afghanistan, Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani, to deliver a similar demarche to the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul, the statement added.
Responding to media queries, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said the diplomatic protests were issued after investigations indicated that Afghan nationals had participated in the attack.
“The Afghan chargé d’affaires was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last night, and a strong demarche was issued regarding the Karachi terrorist attack,” Andrabi said, answering media questions. “A similar demarche was conveyed through Pakistan’s Ambassador Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani to the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” the spokesperson added.
The demarches were issued, “in light of the fact that the Afghan nationals, including one apprehended alive, participated in this attack, proving yet again that Afghan soil and Afghan nationals continue to be used to orchestrate terrorist attacks inside Pakistan,” he added.
The statement follows the military’s announcement that security forces had successfully repelled the June 27 assault on the Rangers camp after armed attackers detonated an explosive at the main gate and attempted to breach the facility’s perimeter.
According to the military, all attackers were neutralised during the operation, while one Afghan national involved in the assault was captured alive.
Pakistan has repeatedly expressed concern over militant groups allegedly operating from sanctuaries inside Afghanistan. It has also repeatedly urged the Afghan Taliban authorities to prevent their territory from being used for attacks against Pakistan.
Islamabad maintains that counterterrorism cooperation is essential for regional peace and stability.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained strained in recent years over border security, militant violence and allegations of cross-border infiltration. Pakistani officials have consistently called on the Afghan interim authorities to take effective action against groups that they say plan and launch attacks from Afghan soil.
The latest diplomatic démarche reflects Pakistan’s decision to formally register its protest through official diplomatic channels following what it described as evidence linking Afghan nationals to the Karachi attack.
