ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday pointed to Afghanistan and said that it has evidence that telephone calls were traced to its western neighbour during the terrorist attack on the Jaffar Express on Tuesday in Balochistan, adding that there was no doubt India is also involved in terrorism against Pakistan.
The spokesperson at the Foreign Office to a volley of questions on the unfortunate train attack said, “Terrorists were in direct communication with Afghanistan based planners throughout the incident. Pakistan has repeatedly asked the interim Afghan government to deny the use of its soil for terrorist groups like BLA for their attacks against Pakistan. We urge Afghanistan to hold perpetrators, organisers and financiers of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and cooperate with the government of Pakistan to bring all those who are concerned with this attack, including the real sponsors of terrorism to justice.”
To a query, the spokesperson explained, “There is no shift in our policy. And again, the facts have not changed. India is involved in sponsoring terrorism against Pakistan. What I was referring to was, in this particular incident, we have evidence of calls being traced to Afghanistan.”
Pointing to support to Pakistan in the aftermath of the train attack, he said that Pakistan had taken note of a number of friendly countries which have unequivocally condemned this heinous terrorist attack and government of Pakistan is seized of the matter.
Pointing to the Indian media, he said that it was glorifying the BLA which itself reflects the Indian policy, in some ways, if not officially.
Pakistan, he pointed out, has been a victim of terrorism that is planned, orchestrated and sponsored by forces who are operating outside Pakistan’s borders. “In our region, unfortunately, we have many forces against peace who do not want to see Pakistan reap the dividends of its unprecedented and sincere efforts in counterterrorism and in building a peaceful region,” he said.
The latest terrorist attack against Jaffar Express near Sibi, Balochistan, he added, was also orchestrated and directed by terrorist ring leaders operating from abroad. “Our security forces successfully eliminated all 33 terrorists, including suicide bombers, while rescuing the hostages,” he said.
The forces, said the spokesperson, which are involved in terrorism in Pakistan are primarily anti-Pakistan. “They don’t want to see Pakistan stable and prosperous and are against anything which helps Pakistan achieve stability and progress. So, by virtue of China being a trusted friend and investment partner of Pakistan, CPEC becomes a target,” he said.
Explaining the government’s efforts to control terrorism in the country, the spokesperson said that Pakistan is pursuing a complex and multi-faceted anti-terrorism strategy, which involves military action, intelligence-based operations and diplomatic approach.
While spelling out bilateral relations with Afghanistan, he said that this centers on trying to develop friendly, cooperative relations and this remains the key goal. “We have long standing relations with Afghanistan and there are layers of complementarities between the two countries like language, history, cultural affinity, and religion but the terrorism remains the core obstacle, which is preventing the relations to develop further. The relations between two countries are dynamic and the state keeps adjusting it,” he said.
To a query, the spokesperson said that the government had taken note of recent media reports claiming a possible ban on Pakistani nationals from entering the US.
“As of now, this is speculative. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and our Mission in Washington are in close contact with the relevant US authorities to get any details in this regard. So far, we have not been given any indication of such a ban on Pakistani nationals,” he said.
Regarding the arrest of Pakistanis in Spain, the spokesperson explained that these individuals were accused of participating in glorification and advocacy of a political party which is considered as proscribed in Spain. Following their arrest, the individuals were presented before the court. Four of them were released after initial interrogation. Later on, one woman was also released on bail by the court, the remaining are still in custody of the police.
Commenting on the embarrassing incident in which Pakistan’s Ambassador to Turkmenistan, Ambassador K K Wagan was denied entry to the US, the spokesperson said that he was on a private visit to the United States when he was detained and denied entry by the US authorities at Los Angeles airport. “What is important is that, by virtue of his visa, which was a visit visa, he was not eligible for diplomatic immunity. As soon as our Consulate in Los Angeles was informed, it got in touch with the US authorities. The authorities informed that he has been held for secondary immigration screening but because of US laws, they did not share the exact reasons or the charges for which he was being put through the secondary screening. Our Missions in Los Angeles and Washington remained engaged with the US authorities. Finally, the ambassador was allowed to fly out on March 8, 2025,” he said.
In this regard he added that the government has taken a very serious note of the incident and on the instructions of the prime minister and deputy prime minister, necessary action has been initiated and investigations are underway.
About the media reports of Chinese Premier visiting Pakistan next month, Spokesperson Shafqat Khan called it a “fake news” and said there were no such plans and that the Chinese Premier had carried out a “very good, successful” visit last year.