PM Shehbaz condemns assassination attempt on Pakistani envoy in Kabul

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday condemned an attack on Pakistan's head of mission in Kabul, calling it a "dastardly assassination attempt".

Pakistan’s current mission head at the Kabul embassy is Ubaidur Rehman Nizamani, who took charge last month.

According to Foreign Office (FO), the firing incident took place at Pakistan’s Embassy in Kabul that left its security guard injured. It said that the attack was targeted at Pakistan’s Head of Mission in Kabul.

"By the grace of Allah Almighty, the Head of Mission is safe. However, a Pakistani security guard Sepoy Israr Mohammad has been critically injured in the attack while protecting the Head of Mission," the FO said.

The FO strongly condemned the attack and urged the interim government of Afghanistan to "hold thorough investigations into this attack, apprehend the culprits, hold them to account, and take urgent measures to ensure the safety and security of Pakistani diplomatic personnel and citizens in Afghanistan."

Following the incident, security outside the embassy was enhanced and the government of Pakistan intended to raise the matter with Afghan leadership, as per the report.

In his tweet, PM Shehbaz demanded an immediate investigation into the incident and lauded the bravery of a security guard who he said "took (a) bullet" to save the life of the head of mission.

The attack comes following Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar’s visit to Kabul where she held meetings with Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mutaqqi, Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi, Minister for Mines and Petroleum Shahabuddin Delawar, and Commerce Minister of the Afghan Interim Government, Haji Nooruddin Azizi.

During these meetings, a range of bilateral issues of common interest including cooperation in education, health, agriculture, trade and investment, regional connectivity, people-to-people contacts and socioeconomic projects were discussed.

Khar reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to peaceful, stable, prosperous and connected Afghanistan. She reiterated Pakistan’s resolve to further deepen and strengthen multifaceted ties between the two countries and build an enduring partnership for shared prosperity.

She underscored the imperatives for the international community to practically engage with the Interim Afghan Government to help the country address the dire humanitarian situation and the challenges of reconstruction and socio-economic development. She also stressed that the unfreezing of Afghanistan’s financial assets would contribute to this.