Islamabad, Feb 19 (NationPress) Pakistan has formally issued a demarche to the governing Taliban authorities in Afghanistan for allegedly facilitating the recent attack on security forces in the Bajaur district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to reports from local media on Thursday.

This diplomatic protest was lodged after the Pakistan Foreign Office (PFO) summoned the Afghan deputy head of mission. The official statement declared, "Pakistan condemned in the strongest terms the vehicle-borne suicide terrorist attack followed by a fire raid on military and law enforcement posts in Bajaur, perpetrated by Fitna al Khawarij [or] the TTP

Fitna al Khawarij refers to the terrorist factions linked to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group. The PFO emphasized that this group, which operates under the protection of Afghan leadership, "functions with impunity from Afghan soil." Despite repeated assurances from Afghanistan to Pakistan, there have been "no visible or concrete actions," as noted by Dawn.

As per the statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), a terrorist attack was executed on a checkpost in Bajaur using an explosive-laden vehicle, resulting in the deaths of 11 security personnel on Monday. In retaliation, security forces reportedly killed 12 terrorists.

Earlier this month, the Afghanistan Ministry of National Defence dismissed Pakistan's claims regarding an attack on a mosque in Islamabad on February 6, labeling them as "irresponsible and baseless" and urging Pakistani officials to address their internal security shortcomings, according to local media.

This response from Afghanistan followed a statement from Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who shared preliminary findings suggesting that the assailant had crossed back and forth from Afghanistan.

The Afghan National Defence Ministry criticized Asif for his "immediate and irresponsible" accusations against Afghanistan without a thorough investigation. They noted a recurring pattern of similar claims regarding incidents in Balochistan and other security challenges in Pakistan, as reported by Afghanistan's Ariana News.

The ministry stated that linking such attacks to Afghanistan "lacks logic or foundation," asserting that these comments do not conceal Pakistan's internal security failures nor do they help resolve the issue. They questioned, "If they were truly able to identify the perpetrators immediately after the incident, then why were they unable to prevent it beforehand?"

The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to Islamic principles, which prohibit harming innocent civilians, and urged Pakistani security officials to take accountability for their internal security issues, reassess their policies, and adopt a more constructive and cooperative approach towards the people of Pakistan and neighboring countries, as reported by Ariana News.