Afghan envoy summoned over ‘use of soil’ for attacks

Pakistan has summoned Afghan envoy to share concerns over the use of Afghan territory for attacks in the country, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

Pakistan military says the recent attack on a university that killed 21 people, mostly students, was controlled by Pakistani Taliban commanders in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said at the weekend that "rogue elements" in Afghanistan are involved in terrorists activities in Pakistan. He however said Islamabad does not blame the Afghan government.

"The Afghan Charge d'Affaires, Syed Abdul Nasir Yousafi was called to the Foreign Office yesterday to convey Pakistan's concern regarding the use of Afghan soil by certain trrorist elements in the recent terrorist attack on Bacha Khan University in Charsada on 20 January," the Foreign Ministry said.

"He was told that investigations have revealed that handlers of this terrorist act were operating from Afghan territory and used Afghan telecommunication network for planning and executing this attack. In this regard, the relevant details have already been shared with the Afghan side," a statement said.

Afghan authorities have reported rejected the Pakistani statements. A day after the attack, Pakistan Army Chief, General Raheel Sharif, spoke to the Afghan President, the Afghan chief executive and the commander of the foreign forces a day after the attack and told them that a Pakistani Taliban commander controlled the attack.