ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has urged the Afghan government on Thursday to take immediate action against those responsible for orchestrating the Jaffar Express attack and hostage situation.
During a weekly press briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan stressed the need for swift measures against the masterminds of the attack, who he claimed were operating from safe havens in Afghanistan. He reiterated that Pakistan was targeting militants with sanctuaries beyond its borders, adding that the attackers had connections with their accomplices abroad.
Commenting on reports that the Trump administration might impose an entry ban on Pakistani nationals in the United States, Khan stated that there was no official confirmation of such a move. “These are just rumours at this stage,” he clarified.
Addressing speculation that Pakistan planned to shut down the Torkham border crossing with Afghanistan, the FO spokesperson dismissed the claims as baseless propaganda. He explained that the issue arose because Afghan authorities attempted to establish a checkpoint within Pakistani territory.
Khan informed that four Pakistani nationals were released after Spanish courts issued their order. The embassy representative stated that Pakistan had applied for consular contact with other detained nationals while awaiting permission from Spanish authorities.
Responding to an incident at Los Angeles Airport involving Pakistan’s ambassador to Turkmenistan, KK Ahsan Wagan, Khan clarified that the ambassador was on a private visit to the US. He stated that after undergoing a second screening, Wagan was allowed to proceed, and Pakistan was currently looking into the matter.
China showed persistent support toward Pakistan while the international world expressed firm condemnation of the Jaffar Express attack. Khan also expressed that Indian leaders’ statements regarding Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) demonstrated Indian territorial claims.
The leader demanded a stop to the violence in Gaza and the West Bank and expressed his strong opposition to India’s orders banning both the Awami Action Committee and Jammu and Kashmir Ittehadul Muslimeen.
