Islamabad - Pakistan says it will present proof to Afghanistan on Badaber camp attack after the neighbouring country yesterday denied the use of its soil for the attack.
Country’s top diplomat, Sartaj Aziz said that the evidence of Taliban attack, at a Pakistan Air Force residential base near Peshawar, would be provided to Afghanistan. Both the countries are responsible for eliminating terrorism from their respective areas, he stressed.
Pakistani Taliban Friday launched an onslaught at the PAF facility which claimed 29 lives. The security forces retaliated and killed all 14 heavily armed raiders sent on the suicide mission.
The military later told the media that voice recordings of the militants revealed the attack was planned and controlled from Afghanistan, though it did not say if Afghan state authorities could be involved in it at any level.
A Taliban spokesman, speaking in a video along with a group of 14 militants, also used an Afghan cell number to contact media persons in Pakistan.
But, the Afghan president’s office Saturday issued a statement rejecting the claims. “Afghanistan, as a victim of terrorism, feels the agony and pain of terrorism, and commiserates in that spirit with the victims of yesterday’s (Friday) attack in Peshawar.”
“We vehemently reject baseless claims that the attack was planned or controlled from Afghanistan,” it said.
Security sources in Islamabad however said the authorities were contemplating on sharing with Kabul the evidence they had so as to press Afghan government take on the TTP leadership hiding in the neighbouring country. “The government has already gathered evidence... ” diplomatic sources said.
Later, in a TV interview, Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz said Pakistan will provide Afghanistan government with the evidence that the terrorists had planned and executed attacks from Afghanistan. He said besides the existing proof, the intelligence agencies were collecting further evidence in this regard.
The adviser said Afghanistan must ensure implementation of the agreed points during PM Nawaz Sharif’s visit. He said both countries are obligated to eliminate terrorism for which coordinated efforts and intelligence sharing is necessary. He added that mutual cooperation will help establish long-term peace in the region.
The statement from Afghan president however said, “We vehemently reject baseless claims that the attack was planned or controlled from Afghanistan.” Afghan government believes “terrorism is the enemy of humanity and there are no good and bad terrorists. The regional states should continue putting in joint and sincere efforts to eliminate this heinous phenomenon”.
The US in a statement said it would be premature to say anything about origin of attack, but emphasised the need for joint Pak-Afghan efforts against all terrorists.

“The military operations of Pakistan in Waziristan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have had consequences both for Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Afghan government has put in a lot of efforts in recent years to fight terrorism and it once again calls on Pakistan to jointly fight alongside Afghanistan all terrorist groups without discrimination so that peace and stability are ensured in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the region.”