The Foreign Office on Thursday said recent strikes targeting militant hideouts along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border were carried out to ensure the safety of Pakistani citizens and prevent imminent terrorist attacks.
Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi made the remarks during the weekly press briefing while responding to questions regarding operations carried out against terrorist camps inside Afghan territory.
He said the intelligence-based, selective targeting of seven terrorist camps and hideouts was undertaken primarily to safeguard Pakistani citizens, particularly law enforcement personnel and civilians living in border areas.
“The Intelligence-based selective targeting of these seven terrorist camps and their hideouts in [the] Pakistan-Afghanistan border region were primarily to ensure [the] safety and security of Pakistani citizens and to prevent imminent terrorist attacks against Pakistan, particularly against our law enforcement officials and our civilians living near the border regions,” he said.
“These actions were proportional, based on careful planning with necessary due diligence, and were directed solely against identified terrorist camps and hideouts,” Andrabi said, adding that utmost caution was exercised to avoid civilian casualties.
The spokesperson reiterated that Pakistan seeks an end to the freedom enjoyed by terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil and stressed that all actions were based on verified intelligence.
He said Islamabad does not wish to harm its relations with the Afghan people but expects Afghan authorities to prevent the use of their territory for terrorist activities against neighbouring countries.
Andrabi noted that Pakistan was closely monitoring what he described as “threatening statements” issued by the Afghan Taliban and remained fully aware of security threats emerging from Afghanistan.
Calling recent statements from Afghan authorities misleading, he urged Kabul to stop militants from using Afghan territory for cross-border attacks, adding that Pakistan reserves the right to act in self-defence against threats to national security.
The spokesperson further said that a statement issued by India’s Ministry of External Affairs following a recent terrorist attack in Balochistan had effectively validated Pakistan’s longstanding position, which Islamabad strongly rejected.
During the briefing, Andrabi confirmed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Qatar from February 23 to 24 at the invitation of the Amir of Qatar, who expressed interest in elevating bilateral economic cooperation. The prime minister also met Qatar’s defence minister and minister of state during the visit.
Pakistan would welcome any constructive role by Qatar regarding the Afghanistan issue, he added.
The Foreign Office also announced that an emergency ministerial meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Executive Committee is being held in Jeddah on February 26 to discuss Israel’s decisions in the occupied West Bank. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is representing Pakistan at the meeting.
Marking the 19th anniversary of the Samjhauta Express attack, Andrabi said more than 70 people were killed in the incident, noting that accused Swami Aseemanand and Indian Colonel Purohit had publicly confessed to involvement, while India had yet to bring those responsible to justice.
