Charsadda attack: Pakistan asks Afghanistan to act against perpetrators

ISLAMABAD: After thorough investigations into the terrorist attack on the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, Pakistan has clearly told Afghanistan it was time that they took ‘relevant details’ seriously that proved that handlers of the attack were operating from the Afghan territory.

Twenty-two people were killed in this attack on January 20. In this regard, the Afghan Charge d’Affaires, Syed Abdul Nasir Yousafi, was summoned to the Foreign Office on Tuesday where ‘concern’ was expressed about certain terrorist elements who operated from inside Afghanistan.

However, the spokesman at the Foreign Office in his statement did not name these terrorists believed to be the Pakistani Taliban headed by Mullah Fazlullah.

“He (Afghan charge d’affaires) was told that investigations have revealed that handlers of this terrorist act were operating from the 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,” said the spokesman.

Earlier, Afghanistan had rejected allegations coming from Pakistan when Lt Gen Asim Salim Bajwa, Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), had said that all the four terrorists came from Afghanistan and the attack was planned and controlled from Afghanistan.

“Qari Zakir, a deputy commander of Omar Mansoor, brought them to the Torkham border near Pakistan. They crossed the border and entered Pakistan. One facilitator, Adil, received them at the border and brought them to Peshawar via public transport,” Bajwa had earlier told a media briefing. He had added that the main handler, Omar Mansoor, was using an Afghan SIM and made telephone calls to the terrorists during the attack.

Interestingly, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) officials believe that terrorists who attacked the Bacha Khan University on Wednesday were either using SIMs issued by the Pakistani cellular companies or a satellite phone as there is no possibility of using the Afghan SIMs in Charsadda.

“It is 100 percent confirmed and has been re-verified that roaming Afghan SIMs in Pakistani areas are not possible as tower-sharing agreements of Afghan cellular companies with Pakistani cellular companies were ‘effectively terminated’ around one year ago,” an official had said.

The spokesman at the Foreign Office added, “The government of Afghanistan was urged to take action against the perpetrators of this heinous act of terrorism and extend cooperation to Pakistani authorities to bring them to justice at the earliest possible.”—Originally published in The News