Islamabad, February 19 Pakistan has issued a formal protest to the Taliban regime in Afghanistan over the alleged use of Afghan soil for a recent terrorist attack that resulted in the deaths of 11 soldiers, the Foreign Office said on Thursday.
Eleven soldiers and one civilian were killed when terrorists drove a vehicle carrying explosives into a security checkpoint in Bajaur, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Monday.
According to a statement released by the Foreign Office, the protest was delivered on Wednesday afternoon, when the Afghan deputy head of mission was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"Pakistan strongly condemned the suicide attack carried out by Fitna al Khawarij (or) the TTP, which involved a vehicle-borne attack followed by a raid on Pakistani military and law enforcement posts in Bajaur," it said.
The term "Fitna al Khawarij" is used for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The Foreign Office expressed concern that the group, whose entire leadership is based in Afghanistan, "operates with impunity from Afghan soil."
It reiterated that Pakistan had received repeated assurances from the Afghan Taliban regime, "but, unfortunately, with no visible or concrete actions."
"The Afghan Taliban regime has been instructed to take immediate, concrete, and verifiable measures against all terrorist groups operating from its territory, including their leadership," it said.
The ministry also "categorically informed" the Afghan Taliban that Pakistan "reserves the right to respond and eliminate any members of the group, as well as their affiliates, wherever they are located, to ensure the safety of its soldiers, civilians, and territorial boundaries."
Pakistan often blames the Afghan government for its failure to prevent terrorists from using its soil for attacks across the border into Pakistan.
However, the Kabul administration refutes such allegations and instead stresses that Pakistan should control its own security affairs.
