RAWALPINDI - Pakistan Army has blamed terrorists’ sanctuaries in Afghanistan for recent bombings in the country, which claimed innocent lives on Friday as the death toll in twin bomb blasts in Parachinar shot up to 67.
The statement comes hours after deadly bombings in Parachinar, Kurram Agency. “The recent terrorist incidents are linked to sanctuaries in Afghaniustan,” said ISPR DG Maj-Gen Asif Ghafoor on twitter.
Lt-Gen Ghafoor said surveillance along the country’s border with Afghanistan had been enhanced, promising stringent actions against illegal border crossers.
This is not the first time that Pakistan has blamed terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan for bloodshed on its soil. In February, officials of the Afghan embassy in Islamabad were summoned to the General Headquarters where they were handed over a list of 76 terrorists orchestrating attacks inside Pakistani territory from Afghanistan.
These Afghan officials were summoned after deadly attacks in Sehwan, interior Sindh, and Lahore, which left more than 100 people dead. In February, Pakistan also closed its border with Afghanistan, following the deadly attacks in Sehwan and Lahore, which was reopened after nearly 20 days.
Earlier, the ISPR DG said special intelligence-based and search operations had been launched, with security tightened across the country. He added the operations had been launched in coordination with intelligence and law-enforcement agencies.
Meanwhile, after the Parachinar tragedy, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan Saturday made telephonic contacts with Chief of General Staff Lt-Gen Bilal Akbar, Sindh Rangers Director General Maj-Gen Muhammad Saeed and Balochistan Frontier Corps Inspector General Maj-Gen Nadeem Anjum and agreed to enhance monitoring at crossing points of Pak-Afghan border.
Nisar noted whenever the crossing points were opened, the country witnesses increased acts of terrorism. He also found details of the current incidents of terrorism and expressed grief over the loss of precious lives. He was told that the purpose of this attack was to create a sense of uncertainty at the border.
The two blasts took place in Parachinar, the capital of Kurram district in the tribal belt, killing at least 67 people and injuring over 300 others. According to the political administration, the first blast occurred when people were busy in Eid shopping in a crowded market. When people rushed to the site of the blast to rescue the wounded, a second blast happened.
Nisar also revealed two terror alerts were issued before the blasts and raised the question why precautionary measures were not taken by the provincial government to avert the tragedy despite clear identification.
Nisar made it clear that neither the government’s efforts to curb terrorism were affected after this cowardly attack, nor was the nation’s morale lowered. It was a worrying sign to associate any terrorist activity with Pakistan without investigation, he remarked.
Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria on Saturday said involvement of Indian intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing, in recent wave of terrorism in Pakistan could not be ignored.
Talking to a private news channel, he said, “Pakistan has concrete evidence regarding the Indian agency’s involvement in sabotaging peace in Balochistan and Karachi. We are well aware of the mindset that is trying to destabilise Pakistan,” he stated, adding Islamabad was ready to cooperate with Afghanistan to curb terrorism.
Nafees Zakaria said, “India is using agents and land of other countries to sabotage peace efforts in Pakistan.” He said Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav had confessed to his crime and involvement in terrorist activities in Pakistan, adding complete legal procedure had been followed in his trial.
The death toll of Parachinar twin blasts surged to 67 as 22 more injured succumbed to their injuries during treatment in different hospitals on Saturday, pushing the death toll to 67. Sources said the condition of some 30 injured under treatment in district headquarters hospital and Peshawar hospitals is stated to be critical.
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claimed responsibility for the twin bombs that hit a market in the northwestern town of Parachinar.
LeJ's Al-Alami faction said in a statement it was targeting Shi’ite Muslims and threatened more attacks on Pakistanis fighting Sunni militants in Syria’s civil war. LeJ Al-Alami, which has previously partnered with Middle East-based Islamic State to carry out attacks in Pakistan, said it had previously warned the Shia community of Parachinar to stop staining their hands with the blood of Sunnis in Syria otherwise they would face deadly attacks.