Enemy using Afghan soil to attack Pakistan: Islamabad

Pakistan on Thursday said the enemy was taking advantage of the turmoil in Afghanistan and using its soil to orchestrate terrorist attacks in the country.

"Terrorism is a common enemy of both Pakistan and Afghanistan and both the countries would need to work together to combat terrorism," Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said.

He said Pakistan remains committed to peace and stability in Afghanistan and emphasised the need for effective border management to stop cross-border movement of terrorists.

Zakaria said the government was taking concrete steps to deal with terrorists. He said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has issued instructions to deal with the terrorists with absolute resolve, which the country's Armed Forces and other Law Enforcement Agencies' personnel were pursuing.

The spokesman said Pakistan was the biggest victim of terrorism and has paid a heavy price in terms of lives and economic losses.

On the Kashmir dispute, Zakaria noted that the people in the Kashmir Valley continue to suffer "atrocities at the hands of Indian forces". He said Indian troops have "killed 22 innocent Kashmiris" in the first two months of 2017, which was "condemnable".

"The entire Pakistani nation supports Kashmiris' indigenous movement for self-determination and the government will continue to extend its moral, political, and diplomatic support to them till the resolution of Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UNSC Resolutions," the spokesman said.

--IANS

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