Pak foreign minister claims ‘increase in terrorist attacks’ from Afghanistan

Islamabad, Aug 20 (PTI) Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday told his Afghanistan counterpart that there was an "increase in terrorist attacks” in his country allegedly by terrorist outfits operating from Afghanistan, the Foreign Office said here.

Dar’s bilateral meeting with Amir Khan Muttaqi, Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister, came on the sidelines of the 6th trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Pakistan, China, and Afghanistan in Kabul.

The Foreign Office said Dar acknowledged the encouraging progress in political and commercial ties. However, he said the “progress in the security domain, especially in counter-terrorism, continues to lag behind”.

Dar, who is also Pakistan’s deputy prime minister, claimed a recent surge in terrorist attacks inside Pakistan perpetrated by groups operating from Afghan soil.

He urged the Afghan authorities to take concrete measures against entities such as the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

The Afghan acting foreign minister reaffirmed Kabul’s commitment to ensuring its territory is not used by any terrorist group against Pakistan or other nations, according to the statement.

The Foreign Office said that the two ministers expressed satisfaction with the positive trajectory of bilateral relations and welcomed the recent elevation of diplomatic representation between the two countries from Chargé d’Affaires to Ambassadorial level.

Pakistan has consistently blamed Afghanistan for failing to stop the TTP and other groups for launching attacks across the border, which Kabul has rebutted.

In April, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to not allow the use of their territories for any terror attacks against each other as the leaders of the two nations met in Kabul to rebuild ties unsettled due to militancy and expulsion of Afghan refugees.

The agreement was reached during the daylong visit of Dar to Afghanistan where he met Afghanistan's top leadership. PTI SH GSP GSP