The Foreign Office (FO) Thursday rejected “utterly baseless and malicious” reports claiming that Pakistan had carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan.
The statement comes after the Afghan newspaper Hasht-e-Subh Daily quoted sources as saying that Pakistan “bombed targets in Salala neighbourhood in the vicinity of Gushta district” in Nangarhar province on Thursday morning.
The development comes amid an uptick in terrorist activities throughout the country, especially after the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended ceasefire with the government and ordered attacks throughout the country.
On Monday, the National Security Committee (NSC) categorically asked Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, without directly naming them, to deny safe haven to Pakistani terrorist groups on its soil and end their patronage, while reiterating its intent to crush terrorist groups operating inside the country with full force.
The uncharacteristically strong-worded statement issued at the end of the NSC meeting, which spanned two days, said: “Pakistan’s security is uncompromisable and the full writ of the state will be maintained on every inch of the (sic) Pakistan’s territory.”
The committee agreed on a number of steps to deal with the worsening security situation, which has also drawn the attention of a number of important capitals prompting them to issue advisories for their nationals residing here.
“No country will be allowed to provide sanctuaries and facilitation to terrorists and Pakistan reserves all rights in that respect to safeguarding her people,” the NSC statement said.