ISLAMABAD: Confirming that the mastermind of the attack on the PAF base in Badaber, Peshawar, was operating out of Afghanistan, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Tuesday that nine of the 14 men who attacked the installation were foreigners.

Talking to a group of reporters after chairing a meeting of departmental heads of the interior ministry, he said that investigations were proceeding in the right direction and it was no longer a secret where the attackers came from and where they stayed. He said that security and intelligence agencies had pieced together clues from the attack and traced its origins to Afghanistan.

Though the minister avoided mentioning the nationality of the foreign attackers, his statement that proof of their identities would be shared with the Afghan government appeared to confirm earlier reports that the attackers had come from Afghanistan.

The minister also pointed out that the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan had already accepted responsibility for the attack and it was clear that the organisation was operating out of Afghanistan.

Fencing of Afghan border termed permanent solution

Chaudhry Nisar said that instances of infiltration into Afghanistan from Pakistan had greatly reduced since the start of the military operation in tribal areas, adding that now it was incumbent upon Afghanistan to do the same on its side of the border.

He said that it was not appropriate for Afghanistan to blame Pakistan for every terrorist attack taking place in that country.

The interior minister said that the military spokesman had given a “very measured statement” after the attack when he said that people from Afghanistan, not the state, were involved.

“We have an agreement with Afghanistan that both sides would convey their reservations through diplomatic and military channels,” he remarked. Pakistan was clear in respect to its relations with Afghanistan and expected the same from other side, he said.

He expressed the hope that Afghanistan would not “speak someone else’s language” and that “both countries would continue bilateral relations as the security of both is interlinked”.

Describing the fencing of the Afghan border as a permanent solution to the problem of illegal border crossing, he said that since the border was porous, there was a dire need to improve the security situation inside both countries.

He said that Pakistan had not yet raised the issue of extradition of wanted people from Afghanistan and ruled out any action by Pakistani forces inside Afghan territory.

The minister also said that a proposal regarding the establishment of a special committee -- consisting of representatives of the State Bank, FIA, intelligence agencies and provincial counter-terrorism departments -- to stop terror financing in the country, would be sent to the prime minister after Eid.

Earlier, during the meeting, the minister was informed that 72,414 arms licences had so far been computerised, while the remaining 352,000 were currently being verified.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd , 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play