QUETTA: Pakistan has repatriated the body of an Afghan national involved in terrorist activities, the military’s media wing said on Tuesday.

The man was killed in an intelligence-based operation in Sambaza, Zhob, on January 11 when security forces conducted a raid on the reported presence of terrorists in the area, the statement by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) added.

The ISPR statement identified the man as Muhammad Khan Ahmedkhel son of Haji Qasim Dawran Khan, a resident of Wazekhwa district of Afghanistan’s Paktika province.

“His body was handed over to IAG [interim Afghan government] officials on January 20 after necessary procedural formalities,” the ISPR added.

The ISPR said the incident was “irrefutable evidence” of the involvement of Afghan nationals in terrorist activities in Pakistan.

The statement urged the Afghan government “to fulfil its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by terrorists for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan”.

Last week, security forces killed five terrorists when they were attempting to infiltrate Pakistan from Afghanistan in Zhob district bordering Afghanistan.

The movement of terrorists was “picked up by the security forces”, leading to gunfire, said the ISPR statement about the incident.

In recent months, civil and military leaderships have stated that terrorists carrying out attacks in Pakistan were based in Afghanistan.

In his press conference last month, ISPR Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that terrorist outfits were being provided “sanctuaries, support, and are allowed unrestrained activities on Afghan territory”.

Later, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also asked the Afghan government to stop the banned Tehreeki-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from carrying out terrorist activities inside Pakistan, calling it unacceptable and a red line for the country.

Kabul has repeatedly denied Pakistan’s allegations, resulting in a marked degradation of bilateral ties.

In a meeting earlier this month, the political leadership asked the military’s top brass to engage with Afghanistan to address security issues. In an almost four-hour-long meeting with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir, the representatives of several political parties expressed concern over the prevailing law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

However, the COAS pointed out that the Afghan interim rulers had failed to adhere to repeated warnings in the past.

“They don’t listen to us,” a source quoted the army chief as saying in reply to the suggestion of formal or informal dialogue with the interim Afghan government.

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2024