Pakistan raises concern over attacks from terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has summoned the Afghan deputy head of mission to the Foreign Office to convey its concerns over continuing attacks by terrorist outfit Jamaat-ul-Ahrar from its sanctuaries inside Afghanistan.

According to a press release from the Foreign Office, Afghan Deputy Head of Mission Syed Abdul Nasir Yousafi was called in to the Foreign Office on Tuesday by the Additional Secretary.

"[The] attention of the DHM was also drawn to earlier actionable intelligence shared by our authorities with the Afghan side. Afghanistan was urged to take urgent measures to eliminate the terrorists and their sanctuaries, financiers, and handlers operating from its territory," said the press release.

The Foreign Office said an aide-memoire containing details of the terrorist attacks and supporting information was also shared with the Afghan deputy head of mission.

The development comes two days after a deadly bombing rocked the Punjab provincial capital Lahore, killing at least 14 people and wounding dozens more.

The responsibility of the attack was claimed by the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a breakaway faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Last year, the United States added the Jamaat-ur-Ahrar to its list of global terrorists, triggering sanctions against the terrorist group which has staged multiple attacks on civilians, religious minorities and soldiers in Pakistan.

The designation by Washington meant anyone who supports Jamaat-ur-Ahrar could have their assets frozen by the US government.

"Pakistan has long pleaded to take concrete action against the TTP and their like who operate in Afghanistan, and they have planned and launched a number of attacks in Pakistan while operating from there," Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria had said, welcoming Washington's announcement.