ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has said that the recent terrorist attack in Quetta has been traced back to Afghanistan.
At his weekly news briefing here on Thursday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal stated this reinforces our stance that the terrorist safe havens in Afghanistan are being used for attacks on Pakistani territory. He said these attacks must stop.
The spokesperson denied the presence of Daesh and Taliban leadership in Pakistan. Responding to a question, the Foreign Office Spokesperson said that both Pakistan and the United States continue to communication with each other on various issues of mutual interests at different levels.
He pointed out that Pakistan has been facilitating the US led mission in Afghanistan through air and ground lines of communication for the last sixteen years.
He said Pakistan’s support to the US has been critical in dealing with the challenges of terrorism in the region. He said our cooperation also helped to secure the region and decimate Al-Qaeda which has also been acknowledged by the US leadership.
We have conveyed to the US that actionable intelligence sharing can help in advancing the shared goals of defeating terror from the region.
The spokesperson reminded that Pakistan has fought the war on terror largely from its own resources which cost it 120 billion dollars over the last fifteen years. He said arbitrary deadlines, unilateral pronouncements and shifting goalposts are counterproductive in addressing the common threat.
To a question, Dr Mohammad Faisal stated that Pakistan desires dignified and sustainable repatriation of Afghan refugees to their homeland. Responding to a question, the spokesperson said that Pakistan desires to resolve all outstanding disputes with India including Jammu and Kashmir, Siachen and Sir Creek through dialogue. He said dialogue can only be held if the other side is also ready for the same.
Voicing concerns over the Indian atrocities in occupied Kashmir, the spokesperson said that India needs to accept the reality that it cannot silence the Kashmiri freedom movement through the use of force.