———– Spokesperson also called on Afghan authorities to take steps against terror groups operating within their borders
———– Rejects ‘agenda-driven report’ asserting China seeks joint security for its citizens
———– Asserts Islamabad, Beijing have robust dialogue mechanism
From Asghar Ali Mubarak
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office has expressed grave concerns over India’s alleged support for terror groups operating in the region. At a weekly news briefing on Thursday, spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch reiterated Pa-kistan’s position that these groups receive backing from India.
Baloch reminded the media of a past incident when Pakistan arrested an Indian Naval officer involved in espionage and terrorist activities in Balochistan. She emphasised that such activities were an estab-lished fact and continued to threaten regional security.
The spokesperson also called on Afghan authorities to take concrete steps against terror groups oper-ating within their borders. “Afghanistan must not allow its soil to be used for terrorism against Pakistan or any neighbouring country,” Baloch said.
She urged Afghanistan to take Pakistan’s repeated requests seriously and warned against testing the patience of the Pakistani people.
In response to a question about relations with China, Baloch assured that Pakistan would continue to work closely with Beijing to ensure the safety and security of Chinese nationals and projects in the country.
“Pakistan and China share a robust dialogue on various issues, including counterterrorism and the pro-tection of Chinese interests,” she added, highlighting the strength of their strategic partnership.
As for relations with the United States, Baloch described the bilateral ties as longstanding and cordial. “We seek to build on this relationship based on mutual respect, mutual interests, and non-interference in each other’s domestic affairs,” she said, underscoring the importance of cooperation between the two countries.
Agencies add, Pakistan has categorically rejected a media report suggesting Beijing urging Islamabad to allow its own security staff for the protection of thousands of Chinese citizens working in the South Asian nation fol-lowing the Karachi airport bombing.
Beijing had asked Pakistan to “allow its own security staff for Chinese citizens” during talks after a car bombing in Karachi that was seen as “a major security breach”, Media reported this on Monday quot-ing sources.
Two Chinese citizens among three people were killed in a suicide blast near Karachi airport last month and a banned outfit — Balochistan Liberation Army’s (BLA) Majeed Brigade — claimed its responsibility via social media.
Reacting to the report at her weekly press briefing on Thursday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch rejected the news report as “speculation” and “motivated by agenda”. She urged the media to ascertain the motives behind such stories. Baloch added that both Pakistan and China had robust dialogue and cooperation based on mutual cooperation and respect for each other’s sovereignty as being the iron brothers and strategic partners.
“Both countries had the resolve and capabilities to foil any attempt to harm their bilateral relations,” she added.
The Media report claimed that a series of attacks on Chinese citizens have “pushed Pakistan to begin formal negotiations for a joint security management system”.
As Pakistan witnessed a surge in terrorist attacks since the Taliban returned to power in neighbouring Afghanistan in 2021, Islamabad has reiterated its call for the Afghan authorities to take action against the groups or individuals involved in terror activities against Pakistan, warning that they should not test the patience of the Pakistani people.
“We urge Afghan authorities to take Pakistan’s repeated requests seriously and ensure that action is taken against these terror groups,” Baloch said in today’s media briefing today.
“The patience of Pakistani people must not be tested with respect to the terror threat we continue to face from entities and individuals in Afghanistan,” she added.
As per a report issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), third quarter (July-September) of 2024 saw a sharp increase in fatalities of terrorist violence and counter-terrorism cam-paigns, with a 90% surge in violence.
A total of 722 people were killed, including civilians, security personnel, and outlaws, while 615 others were wounded in as many as 328 incidents recorded during the period under review.
Nearly 97% of these fatalities occurred in KP and Balochistan — marking the highest percentage in a decade, and over 92% of these incidents of terror attacks and security forces’ operations were record-ed in the same provinces.
