ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) on Tuesday condemned the recent attack on a checkpost near the Pak-Afghan border in Bajaur Agency and lodged a ‘strong protest’ with the Afghan government over cross-border terrorism.

At least two Pakistani soldiers were martyred and four others were injured in the cross-border attack on Monday.

The FO, in a statement, summoned the Afghan charge d’affaires and lodged a protest with the Afghan government over the incident.

Pakistan, it said, had been witnessing a surge in terrorist attacks on its security forces deployed along the Pak-Afghan border, who were engaged in strengthening border management.

FO summons Afghan envoy over ‘cross-border terrorism’

The cross-border terrorist attacks on Pakistani forces confirmed the presence of a large number of terrorists in the increasingly ungoverned spaces in Afghanistan, the statement added.

The forces supporting acts of terrorism against Pakistan — who were allowed to use Afghan soil — were a serious threat to peace and stability in Afghanistan, and the region, said the FO, adding that this was demonstrated earlier this month when elements inimical to security in the region targeted and martyred a Pakistani diplomatic official in Jalalabad.

In the statement, Pakistan called upon the Afghan government to take immediate action against the terrorists and militant groups finding sanctuaries in Afghanistan to target Pakistani security forces.

It was noted that strengthening the border management was critical for preventing cross-border attacks.

Published in Dawn, November 15th, 2017