Afghanistan assures Pakistan embassy attackers will be brought to justice

This was assured by Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. In a phone call with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari late on Friday evening, he condemned the attack on Pakistan’s embassy in Kabul targeting the recently-installed head of mission Ubaidur Rehman Nizamani.

A security guard took the bullets meant for Nizamani and protected him. The guard was critically injured and rushed to a local hospital later.

In his call, Muttaqi assured Bilawal that the Afghan government will bring the perpetrators to justice swiftly as he strongly condemned the attack.

Muttaqi also conveyed his good wishes and prayers for the early recovery of the security guard, Sepoy Israr Mohammad.

The foreign minister thanked the interim Afghan government for its strong expression of solidarity and underscored that safety and security of Pakistan’s diplomatic personnel in Afghanistan was of utmost importance.

“The Afghan government must prevent the terrorists from undermining relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan,” he remarked.

Foreign Minister Bilawal also reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to fight terrorism and said that Pakistan will be undeterred by such cowardly attacks.

Earlier, Pakistan also summoned the Afghan Charge d’affaires to convey its “deep concern and anguish” over the attack in Kabul on Pakistan’s Head of Mission.

It was underscored that perpetrators of this attack must be apprehended and brought to justice urgently, an investigation be launched into the serious breach of security of the embassy premises, and that all necessary steps be taken to ensure the security of the diplomatic premises, officers and staff working in Pakistan’s Mission in Kabul and consulates in Jalalabad, Kandahar, Herat and Mazar-i-Sharif.

Responding to Pakistan’s call for apprehending the perpetrators and launching an investigation, the Afghan diplomat said that the security of the Pakistani diplomatic missions had already been beefed up and assured that the Afghan authorities would leave no stone unturned in bringing the perpetrators of this dastardly act to justice.

Injured guard flown to Pakistan

Security guard Israr Mohammad, who was critically injured, was flown back to Peshawar for treatment.

“The helicopter carrying the injured security guard Israr Mohammad in today’s attack on our mission in Kabul, has landed in Peshawar,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement.

Moreover, Baloch said that there were no plans to close the embassy or withdraw diplomats from Kabul.

“Pakistan is in contact with the Interim Government in Afghanistan and enhanced security measures are being taken to protect Pakistani diplomatic personnel and Missions in Afghanistan,” the spokesperson added.