FO silent on Afghan airstrike claims

Afghan authorities had summoned a Pakistani diplomat in Kabul to record a formal protest over the incident.

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ISLAMABAD:

Two days after the reported airstrikes inside Afghanistan, Pakistan said on Thursday that security forces conduct operations in the border areas to protect its citizens but refrained from explicitly stating that action was taken inside the Afghan territory.

"Pakistan is committed to the security of its people. Our security and law-enforcement personnel conduct operations in the border areas to protect the people of Pakistan from terror groups, including TTP [Tehreek-e-Taliban, Pakistan]," Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said.

"These operations are carefully selected and are based on authentic and concrete intelligence. We respect the sovereignty of Afghanistan," Spokesperson Baloch told a weekly news briefing.

While Pakistan refused to confirm the strikes, Afghan authorities summoned a Pakistani diplomat in Kabul to record a formal protest over the incident. Kabul claimed that Pakistan carried out air strikes in four different locations of Bermal district.

The spokesperson was repeatedly asked to comment on the air strikes in Paktika province of Afghanistan but she opted for a carefully worded statement and did not specifically mention if the strikes were carried out inside Afghanistan.

"I would like to again underline that Pakistan's counter-terrorism operations are carefully selected and are based on authentic and concrete intelligence, and protection of civilians is always a key consideration in any such decision," Baloch replied, when asked about the nature of the operation and its location.

She stressed that Afghanistan should be able to reclaim its sovereignty and security. "As I said earlier, Pakistan respects the sovereignty of Afghanistan. We believe that Afghanistan should be able to reclaim its sovereignty and security, and the terror groups that threaten the security of Afghanistan and Pakistan need to be combated by both countries," she said.

The reported air strikes on December 24 were the second this year and came at a time when Pakistan was battling renewed TTP-sponsored terrorist attacks. In the latest attack in South Waziristan, 16 Pakistani soldiers were martyred.

The spokesperson stressed that Pakistan preferred diplomacy and dialogue to resolve issues with Afghanistan. "Pakistan has been engaged with Afghanistan over the last few days, and our special envoy on Afghanistan, discussed all matters relating to the terror groups, which have found sanctuaries inside Afghanistan," she told reporters.

"These matters have been discussed, and we will continue to engage with Afghanistan to resolve any issues that arise. I would like to underline that Pakistan believes in dialogue and diplomacy. We have always prioritised diplomacy in relations with Afghanistan, and we believe that it is critical for both countries to work together to combat this terrorist threat, that is a threat not just for Pakistan, but also for Afghanistan."

She further said that Pakistan believed that terrorist groups like the TTP were a collective threat to the regional peace and security. "It is, therefore, important for us to work together to combat the threat posed by TTP," she stressed.

Answering another questions about the repeated calls for the release of Imran Khan by certain Trump administration officials, the spokesperson refused to draw into the controversy, stating that Pakistan would like to have "positive, constructive relationship with the United States on the basis of mutual respect and non-interference in each other's domestic affairs."

"And we hope that all officials will contribute to this objective of positive relations between Pakistan and the United States. As for anyone making statements in their individual capacity, we would not like to comment on that. We will continue to engage with officials and public personalities in the United States and discuss with them issues of mutual interest and mutual concern," she said.