Kabul asked to act against Charsadda attack perpetrators

Islamabad conveys concerns to Afghan charge d’affaires over use of Afghan soil by terrorists

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan asked Afghanistan on Tuesday to act against the perpetrators of the ‘heinous act of terrorism’ at the Bacha Khan University in Chasadda where 21 people were massacred by four gunmen on January 20.

Pakistani military officials say the Charsadda attack was planned and handled by fugitive Taliban leaders sheltering in Afghanistan. Umar Mansoor, the commander of an offshoot of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, used an Afghan phone number to call Pakistani journalists and claim responsibility for the gruesome violence. The four attackers had also appeared in a video filmed in Afghanistan.

Afghan Charge d’Affaires Syed Abdul Nasir Yousafi was called to the Foreign Office in Islamabad on Tuesday to convey Pakistan’s concern over the use of Afghan soil in the deadly assault.

The Afghan envoy was told that investigations revealed the handlers of the Charsadda terrorist act were operating from Afghan territory and used Afghan telecommunication networks for planning and executing this attack, says a statement issued by the Foreign Office.

“In this regard, relevant details have already been shared with the Afghan side,” Qazi Khalilullah, the Foreign Office spokesperson, said. “Kabul has been urged to take action against the perpetrators and extend cooperation to Pakistani authorities to bring them to justice at the earliest,” the statement quoted him as saying.

The army claimed to have arrested at least five facilitators of the attack. Four of them were paraded before the media last week during a news briefing by Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa, the director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).



A day after the attack, army chief General Raheel Sharif telephoned Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah and Commander Resolute Special Mission in Afghanistan Gen John Campbell to share details of Pakistani investigations.

The army chief informed the Afghan leadership and the US general that investigations and leads indicated the Charsadda attack was controlled from Afghanistan by a TTP operative.

Crucial evidence, including Afghan telephone number used by the TTP handler, was shared with both the Afghan leadership and the American general. The army, however, clarified that Pakistan was not blaming the Afghan government for being behind the assault.

Officials said they hoped the Afghan government and US forces would take appropriate action against the elements behind the Charsadda attack. Kabul has so far not acknowledged the Bacha Khan University attack was controlled and handled from the Afghan soil.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2016.