ISLAMABAD  -   Pakistan yesterday urged the Afghan­istan interim government to stop the cross border terrorism targeting Pa­kistani military and civilians.

Speaking at a weekly news briefing here, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Pakistan expects the Afghan interim govern­ment to fulfil its commitments.

“We expect them to fulfil their ob­ligations and to deny the use of Af­ghan soil by the terrorists for per­petuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan,” she added.

She said Pakistan was concerned about the recent incident that took place and the terrorist attack on military posts. “We are engaged with the interim gov­ernment of Afghanistan. We have shared our concerns with regards to the terrorist threat against Pakistan that emanates from the Afghan soil. This dialogue will contin­ue. All these concerns and developments are relevant to the opening or closure of the border as well. With regard to the arms in Afghanistan, we are concerned that the large amount of weaponry that is available in Afghanistan and has now reached some terrorists entities as well, continue to pose a threat to Pakistan, especially when these terrorist entities attack Pakistani civilian and military targets,” she said. Baloch said Pakistan does not want “to assign blame on anyone but the situation needs interna­tional attention. We hope all relevant par­ties would understand the responsibility that they have in this respect.” The spokes­person said Pakistan and the United States have a robust dialogue, in multiple areas, including on security and counterterror­ism matters.

“We have been communicating with the United States and other partners both in the region and outside the region about Pakistan’s security concerns and our threat perception. We hope that all our friends and partners will understand security compulsions that Pakistan has in this region, including the threat of terrorism and the security situation be­cause of the aggressive posture from our eastern neighbors vis-à-vis, Pakistan,” she said. On the terrorist incident of 6th September, she said, the military has is­sued a statement in which it has outlined the details of the terrorist incident.

“It also highlights that the securi­ty forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and the sacrifices of our soldiers further strengthen our resolve. The government and people of Pakistan will continue to defend themselves against the terror­ist threat whether homegrown or spon­sored from abroad,” she elaborated.

She said grave and systematic viola­tions of human rights in the Indian Il­legally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) continue to alarm the world con­science. “Several international human rights organizations including Amnes­ty International have addressed a joint open letter to invite the attention of the representatives of G-20 member states, specially invited countries and interna­tional organizations, towards the serious human rights violations being commit­ted in IIOJK,” the spokesperson said.