RAWALPINDI: Two soldiers of the Pakistan Army embraced martyrdom when terrorists from across the border, inside Afghanistan, attacked a military post in Dwatoi, North Waziristan, the military’s media wing said Wednesday.
“Own troops responded in a befitting manner. During an exchange of fire, 2 soldiers, Havaldar Saleem, age 43 years, and Lance Naik Pervaiz, age 35 years, embraced shahadat,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
The statement said Pakistan has consistently been asking Afghanistan to ensure effective border control on its side.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the continuous use of Afghan soil for terrorist activities against Pakistan,” it added.
On Monday, The Foreign Office had refuted Afghanistan’s claims that the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) does not operate on its soil and said that evidence suggests otherwise as there are over 5,000 TTP members in Afghanistan.
“Over the last many years, TTP has launched several gruesome terrorist attacks inside Pakistan using the Afghan soil without any retribution from its hosts,” a statement issued in this regard had said.
Citing the 12th Report of the UN Monitoring Team issued in June 2021, the foreign office had said that the TTP is known to have “distinctive anti-Pakistan objectives,” while the report notes its location within Afghanistan “near the border with Pakistan”.
“The TTP, following its orchestrated reunification with its splinter groups with the help of Hostile Intelligence Agencies (HIAs), its continued presence in Afghanistan with impunity and its cross-border attacks against Pakistan, pose a persistent threat to our security and stability,” the statement had said.
It had further added that Pakistan’s commitment to fighting terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, without any discrimination, is unwavering and unambiguous.
“Pakistan has continued to emphasise the need for meaningful engagement with the Afghan side for addressing security and terrorism issues through effective use of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS).”
Per the Foreign Office, Pakistan has been making “serious and sincere efforts for facilitating the intra-Afghan peace process for an inclusive political settlement.”
“We hope that Afghans would seize this opportunity for achieving lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan.”
