ISLAMABAD: Afghan Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak and intelligence chief Masoom Stanekzai arrived in Pakistan on Wednesday for talks following two major attacks by the Taliban in Kabul, which killed over 125 people, Afghan ambassador Omar Zakhilwal said.
Zakhilwal said on his Twitter that the Afghan officials will hold “some important meetings today (Wednesday) in Islamabad with Pakistan Prime Minister, other civil, military and intelligence leadership.”
Afghan officials are holding talks at a time when Pakistan has said it has handed over 27 members of the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network to Afghanistan.
Foreign Minister spokesman Muhammad Faisal confirmed on his Twitter late Tuesday that the Afghan militants were handed over in November. He, however; did not disclose names of those handed over.
The Afghan authorities blamed the Haqqani Network for the deadliest attack in Kabul on Jan. 27, which killed 103 people. On Jan. 20 a group of Taliban militants stormed the Kabul’s Hotel Intercontinental and killed 22 people, including 14 foreigners.
Afghan and the U.S. officials have long been alleging that the Afghan militants use Pakistani soil for attacks across the border in Afghanistan, the charge denies by Pakistan.
“The Pakistan continues to push any suspected TTA (Tehrik-e-Taliban Afghanistan & HN (Haqqani Network) elements to prevent them from using our soil for any terrorist activity in Afghanistan. In this context, 27 individuals suspected of belonging to TTA & HN have been handed over to Afghanistan in November 2017,” the foreign office spokesman said.
Faisal did not offer any details about the identity of the militants handed over to the Afghan government.
Afghan and the U.S. officials have long been alleging that the Afghan militants using Pakistan soil for attacks across the border in Afghanistan, the charge denies by Pakistan.
The spokesman said Pakistan has sacrificed 75,000 civilians and 6000 soldiers to the scourge of terrorism and suffered economic losses worth 123 billion US dollars.
“We have one of the highest officer-to-soldier casualty rate globally,” Faisal said in response to criticism at Pakistan’s anti-terror role.
Commenting on Pakistan’s decision to handover the Afghan militants, the Afghan ambassador wrote on Twitter, “This certainly is news to me! It would be a huge step forward in our important bilateral relations if this indeed happens.”