An assassination strive centered Pakistan’s pinnacle diplomat in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s high minister has stated, as tensions among the neighbouring nations simmer.
The head of mission, Ubaid Ur Rehman Nizamani, became the goal of an assault on its embassy compound, Pakistan’s overseas ministry stated on Friday, including that a Pakistani protection defend became severely injured withinside the assault.
The Interim Government of Afghanistan ought to straight away keep thorough investigations on this assault, understand the culprits, keep them to account, and take pressing measures to make sure the protection and protection of Pakistani diplomatic employees and residents in Afghanistan, it stated in a declaration.
I strongly condemn the dastardly assassination strive on Pakistan Head of Mission, Kabul, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated on Twitter. The assault comes days after Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar visited Kabul to keep talks together along with her Afghan counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi amid border tensions among the 2 neighbours.
The attacker didn’t damage the Pakistani diplomat, however shot and wounded his protection defend, Sharif added. No instant affirmation of the safety defend’s situation became available. I call for instant investigation & motion in opposition to perpetrators of this heinous act, Sharif tweeted.
An embassy respectable stated a lone attacker “got here in the back of the duvet of homes and commenced firing”. The ambassador and all of the different group of workers are safe, however we aren’t going out of doors of the embassy constructing as a precaution, he stated.
Nizamani arrived in Kabul closing month to soak up the position at one of the few embassies that had remained operational during the duration after the Taliban took over the usa in August 2021.
Taliban condemnation
A spokesman for the Taliban’s ministry of overseas affairs denounced the assault. Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns the tried taking pictures and failed assault at the Pakistani embassy in Kabul, stated spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi on Twitter.
The taking pictures comes an afternoon after Pakistan’s authorities demanded Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers prevent “terrorist” assaults coming from their soil. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) armed group, additionally referred to as the Pakistani Taliban, claimed obligation for a suicide bombing in advance withinside the week in southwestern Pakistan that despatched a wave of surprise and anger throughout the nation.
The bombing killed 4 humans and regarded to be aimed toward police protective polio people withinside the area. Pakistani Taliban is ideologically aligned with the Afghan Taliban, which seized strength closing yr after the closing US and NATO troops withdrew from Afghanistan.
Abdul Syed, an professional on Pakistan and Afghanistan, stated that it seems that a brand new risk for Pakistan from its western neighbour is swiftly emerging. Contrary to Pakistan’s expectations, the Afghan soil is being utilized by Pakistani Taliban openly. Additionally, numerous Afghan Taliban leaders have expressed their reservations in the direction of Pakistan, blaming it for the ills of their usa, Syed informed Al Jazeera.
When the latest cross-border flare-up occurred in Pakistan’s southwestern province Balochistan, the Afghan Taliban simplest issued a symbolic declaration of condemnation. Yet on Afghan social media, the assault on Pakistan’s border forces became praised, the Sweden-primarily based totally pupil stated.
Thwarted assault
A outstanding baby-kisser and strongman, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, additionally escaped unharmed in a separate assault at the equal day in Kabul, his workplace stated in a declaration. Security guards killed the 2 attackers as they attempted to go into a mosque in which Hekmatyar and his supporters had accumulated for Friday prayers, the declaration stated.
Hekmatyar later stated in a video message that the attackers had been suicide bombers disguised in women’s burqas who meant to blow him up. I guarantee my countrymen, a failed strive occurred right here through the ones who’ve executed it normally however have failed, Hekmatyar stated, including it became now no longer but clean who became in the back of the assault.
It can’t decrease our morale or our resistance … we can stand with our nation, he stated. No one straight away claimed obligation for both of the assaults in Kabul. Hekmatyar, who battled US forces after the 2001 invasion and nursed a sour contention with different Afghan factions, agreed to put down fingers in 2017 and be part of a peace address former President Ashraf Ghani.
Hekmatyar stayed in Kabul after the Taliban took strength closing yr, at the same time as Ghani and different former leaders fled. Hekmatyar based Hezb-i-Islami withinside the mid-Seventies as one of the most important mujahideen agencies preventing the Soviets withinside the 1980s. He then took element withinside the civil battle that erupted after their withdrawal, clashing with the so-referred to as Northern Alliance, earlier than the Taliban first seized strength withinside the overdue 1990s.
Several bombing and taking pictures assaults have taken region in Afghanistan in latest months, a number of that have been claimed through the ISIL (ISIS) group. A blast at a spiritual faculty on Wednesday in northern Afghanistan killed as a minimum 15 humans.