Afghanistan agrees to review Pakistan's findings on Besham attack probe

Interior secretary visits Kabul, seeks assistance in apprehending perpetrators, says FO

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan on Thursday formally sought assistance from the Taliban government to apprehend the perpetrators of the March 26 terrorist attacks that killed five Chinese engineers.

On the special directions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Secretary of Interior, Muhammad Khurram Agha, visited Kabul and held a detailed meeting with the Interim Afghan Deputy Minister for the Interior, Muhammad Nabi Omari, said an official handout issued here by the Foreign Office.

In the meeting, which focused on the terror attack of March 26 at Besham, the interior secretary shared the findings of the government of Pakistan into the Besham attack and sought Afghanistan’s assistance in apprehending the perpetrators.

“The Afghan side reiterated its commitment to prevent the use of their soil for any terrorist activity against other countries, including Pakistan,” said the Foreign Office.

Read more: Taliban refute Pakistan’s claim of Afghan involvement in Besham attack

It said that the Afghan side also agreed to examine the findings of the investigation and expressed the resolve to work with the Pakistani side to take the investigation to its logical conclusion.

The two sides agreed to remain engaged to confront the threat posed by terrorism to regional countries and to address the concerns raised by Pakistan.

On Sunday, Pakistan asked the Afghan Taliban government to arrest the entire leadership of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and put them on trial after sharing fresh evidence linking Afghanistan with the March 26 terrorist attack on Chinese engineers in Besham.

Also read: CTD confirms TTP’s hand behind Besham terror attack

The interim government in Kabul was also told in clear terms that without action against the TTP, relations between the two countries would not move forward.

Speaking at a press conference in Lahore along with the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) coordinator, Interior Minister Mohsen Naqvi said evidence of Afghan linkage to the Besham attack had already been shared with the Afghan government.

“Unfortunately, there is no positive response yet from the Afghan government,” the interior minister said.

Pakistan not only demanded the arrest of three TTP terrorists responsible for the Besham attack but also wanted TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud and the entire leadership detained.

The interior minister said that if the Afghan government could not put them on trial, the entire TTP leadership should be handed over to Pakistan.

At least five Chinese engineers and their Pakistani drivers were killed in a suicide attack on the Karakoram Highway on March 26.

Initial findings of the investigations found a link between Afghanistan and the terrorist attack. The NACTA coordinator Rai Tahir has also shared full details regarding the investigations.