Pakistan’s foreign ministry on Wednesday summoned the Taliban’s deputy ambassador to Islamabad following recent attacks by forces loyal to Pakistani Taliban (TTP) commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Pakistan has called on the Taliban to conduct a full investigation into the attack and take immediate action.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said it had “urged the Afghan interim government to thoroughly investigate the perpetrators of the Bannu attack and take immediate, strong and effective measures.”
The statement reiterated Pakistan’s call on the Taliban not to use Afghan territory to carry out such attacks.
“Pakistan reiterated its serious concern over the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan which continues to pose a threat to Pakistan’s security. These incidents are against the spirit of bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries,” the statement added.
Pakistan said the attack highlights the serious threat that terrorism poses to regional security.
Eight soldiers were killed in an attack on a Pakistani army base in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by forces loyal to Hafiz Gul Bahadur.
The Pakistani army said Hafiz Gul Bahadur’s group is based in Afghanistan and the army will take necessary action against any threat emanating from Afghanistan.
The Taliban have consistently denied carrying out any attacks on neighboring countries from Afghan territory.
