Afghan diplomat given demarche over Chitral attack

Pakistan’s Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on Saturday confirmed that a demarche had been issued to the Afghan charge d’affaires to Islamabad following the attack on two military posts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lower Chitral district earlier this week.

Responding to a question during a press conference on whether the matter was being discussed with the interim Afghan government, he said: “Pakistan registered a strong protest over the incident, summoned the Afghan Cd’A in Islamabad yesterday and handed over a protest note (demarche) to him,” Dawn.com reported.

Calling the incident ‘very unfortunate’, he said Pakistan is taking the rise in terrorism very seriously, and it is the responsibility of Afghanistan to stop the attacks emerging from their soil.

Additionally, speaking on an Aaj News show, he spoke about a “close-knitted conversation” going on with Kabul to reduce terrorism and build peace between both nations. He said developments so far were “positive” and the government was actively trying to bring the two regimes together on the same page.

“Previous governments have worked to some extent in this manner, and now we’re developing the existing policy. This is a closed-room dialogue with the Afghan government and so far, only positive developments have taken place. However, there are some elements from both sides of the border that might impact the progress. But so far, we’re moving in the right direction,” he said.

When questioned about his approach to fostering positive relations with neighbouring countries India and Afghanistan, he emphasised that Pakistan is actively pursuing ‘peace’ with both nations.

“The Indian government needs to cooperate with us on various issues, especially when it comes to Kashmir. I believe that without active dialogues, which benefit both of us, there will be no concrete solution,” he said.

“Our end goal is to achieve peace, and I am sure they (India and Afghanistan) also want the same,” he concluded.