ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has confirmed that Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will travel to Kabul soon although dates for the visit have yet to be announced.
“During our National Security Adviser (NSA’s) recent visit to Kabul, (Afghan) President Ashraf Ghani invited Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to Afghanistan at a convenient time, an offer that he has accepted,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammed Faisal said in a weekly news briefing on Thursday.
Pakistan’s NSA Nasser Khan Janjua visited Kabul on March 17 where he met President Ghani and other Afghan officials to discuss security issues.
During the visit, President Ghani invited the Pakistani Prime Minister to visit Kabul as part of a move to reset deteriorating ties and start state-to-state talks.
Faisal added at the press briefing that Premier Abbasi’s acceptance of the offer was a welcome development. “It is part of our continuous dialogue and engagement with Afghanistan and the international community for a lasting solution to the Afghan problem. It is true that peace in Afghanistan is inextricably linked to Pakistan’s peace and stability,” he said.
He added that Pakistan has always supported an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace process in Afghanistan.
“Islamabad has reiterated that only through political reconciliation, wherein all warring factions begin a meaningful and result-oriented dialogue with the Afghan Government, can lasting peace be achieved in Afghanistan. We have supported the Afghanistan-related initiatives in this context.
“Pakistan has been urging (the) Taliban through its public statements, as well as, private messaging, to join the peace process. This, we feel, is a shared responsibility. Pakistan should not be singled out in this regard,” Faisal added.
Pakistan once again raised the concerns about the rising footprint of Daesh in Afghanistan.
“Daesh has been involved in cross-border raids at Pakistani military posts. We have, on many occasions, shared evidence of their involvement in cross-border raids and location of their safe heavens on Afghan territory with Afghanistan ... and urged them to take effective action to root out Daesh sanctuaries on Afghan territory,” Faisal added.
Welcome development for peace hailed as Pakistan premier accepts Kabul’s invitation
Welcome development for peace hailed as Pakistan premier accepts Kabul’s invitation
Suicide bomber kills at least five at wedding in northwest Pakistan
- Attack took place in Dera Ismail Khan, targeting the home of a local peace committee member
- Peace committees are community-based groups that report militant activity to security forces
PESHAWAR: A suicide bomber killed at least five people and wounded 10 others after detonating explosives at a wedding ceremony in northwestern Pakistan on Friday, officials said, in an attack that underscored persistent militant violence in the country’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The blast took place at the home of a local peace committee member in Dera Ismail Khan district, where guests had gathered for a wedding, police and emergency officials said.
Peace committees in the region are informal, community-based groups that work with security forces to report militant activity and maintain order, making their members frequent targets of attacks.
“A blast occurred near Qureshi Moor in Dera Ismail Khan. Authorities have recovered five bodies and shifted 10 injured to hospital,” said Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for the provincial Rescue 1122 emergency service, adding that the rescue operation was ongoing.
Police said the attacker blew himself up inside the house during the ceremony and that the bomber’s head had been recovered, confirming it was a suicide attack.
Several members of the local peace committee were present at the time, raising fears the toll could rise.
District Police Officer Sajjad Ahmed Sahibzada said authorities had launched an investigation into the incident, while security forces sealed off the area.
Militant attacks have surged in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after the Taliban returned to power in neighboring
Afghanistan in 2021, with the administration in Islamabad blaming the Afghan government for “facilitating” cross-border attacks targeting Pakistani civilians and security forces. However, Kabul has repeatedly denied the allegation.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has also seen frequent intelligence-based operations by security forces targeting suspected militants.
No group has immediately claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack.
