KABUL: The Afghan government has summoned Pakistan’s ambassador in protest of recent shelling in Afghanistan’s eastern provinces.
Afghanistan’s foreign ministry summoned Ambassador Abrar Hussain in Kabul, where Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai asked for an explanation but also gave his condolences regarding recent suicide attacks in Pakistan.
He said, “The people of Afghanistan who are the victims of terrorism can understand this pain, because they witness such terrorist and rocket attacks everyday planed on the other side of the [Durand] line.”
Karzai also said the Afghan government wants Pakistan to take strict action against terrorists that are hiding in Pakistan.
Karzai expressed concern over the closure of the Torkham border crossing and asked for the reopening of the gates.
The border was closed after a suicide bombing at a Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in southern Pakistan that killed 88 people and injured nearly 300 devotees. Meanwhile, The Afghanistan National Unity Government (NUG) has again called on Pakistan to implement the Peace Quartet commitments on eliminating terrorism.
In a statement on Saturday the Afghan Presidential Palace, in reaction to the recent suicide attack on the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Sehwan, emphasized that regional countries – especially Afghanistan and Pakistan – must jointly fight terrorism. According to the presidential palace statement, the Afghan government expects Pakistan to take immediate action against terrorism and also fight against those terrorists groups active in Pakistan who threaten Afghanistan. Afghan government regards the Peace Quartet agreement as a comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism and emphasized that now the time has arrived for Pakistan to implement the provisions of the document.
NNI