A Pakistani delegation met Afghan officials in Kabul on Thursday and sought “security cooperation” while taking up the terrorist attack in the Bisham area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which killed five Chinese and their Pakistani driver.
Five Chinese engineers and their Pakistani driver were killed in the suicide bombing on March 26 as their bus was attacked in the Bisham city of Shangla district. They were travelling between Islamabad and a hydroelectric dam construction site in KP’s Dasu.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said last week that the attack was planned in Afghanistan by the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He had demanded the Afghan interim government hand over the TTP leaders, including its chief Mufti Noor Wali Mehsood.
The Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid had denied Naqvi’s statement and said Pakistan should not hold Kabul responsible for its failure.
The Afghan interim government had condemned the Bisham attack in a statement. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack and the TTP says it was not involved.
Today, the Afghan interior ministry said in a statement that Deputy Interior Minister Maulvi Mohammad Nabi Omari received a Pakistani delegation led by Interior Secretary Khurram Agha.
Omari welcomed the delegation and said that the trip was “effective in solving problems and developing relations”, the statement said.
“The visiting delegation mentioned that the security in the region is beneficial for everyone and expressed the hope that some of the existing problems will be solved,” it said.
Pakistan has not offered any comments on the visit, which is the first high-level visit from Pakistan after the March 26 attack.
The Afghan interior ministry’s statement said Agha spoke about the terrorist attack in Bisham and expressed the desire for cooperation from the Afghan side in security.
Omari said Afghanistan sought peace for itself and wanted the same for others.
“We do not believe in ‘evil’ politics. Our intentions and actions are to promote peace in the region for the benefit of ourselves and everyone,” the statement quoted him as saying.
The Afghan minister said that the Bisham terrorist act was a tragic incident. “All of us should take responsibility for the security of our areas and instead of diverting issues, we should facilitate in real cooperation,” he added.
He said the Islamic Emirate was committed to not allowing others to use its territory against anyone and expected the same from others.
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