Pakistan has summoned the Afghan chargé d'affaires in Islamabad and expressed its deep concern over the attack to the country's head of mission in Kabul, it was reported on Saturday.
Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani survived an attack on the Pakistani embassy in Kabul on Friday, prompting an immediate conviction and calls for an investigation in Islamabad. Nizamani was attacked by unknown assailants while walking through the embassy grounds.
His guard was seriously injured in the attack. Evening statement that the Afghan diplomat was summoned on Friday evening and expressed Pakistan's deep concern at the serious incident in which the head of mission was fortunately unharmed but the guard was seriously injured.
The Chargé d'Affaires has been advised that the security of Pakistan's diplomatic missions and personnel is the responsibility of the Afghan Interim Government and that this incident constitutes an extremely serious security failure," he said.
Pakistan demanded that the embassy perpetrators be arrested and urgently brought to justice, an investigation into the serious breach of security at the embassy premises and all necessary measures taken to ensure the security of the diplomatic premises, officials and staff at the embassy said Pakistani mission in Kabul and consulates in Jalalabad, Kandahar, Herat and Mazar-i-Sharif, he said.
The Afghan chargé d'affaires called the attack very unfortunate, saying it was carried out by the common enemies of Pakistan and Afghanistan and was strongly condemned by Afghan leaders at the highest levels.
He also reported that the security of Pakistani diplomatic missions was already in place in and the Afghan authorities would do everything they could to bring the perpetrators of this cowardly act to justice.
Separately, after the attack, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari received a phone call from Amir Khan Muttaqi, acting foreign minister of the Afghan interim government, the Foreign Ministry said.
Muttaqi strongly condemned the attack on Nizamani. He reiterated Afghanistan's firm determination to fight terrorism and assured the Foreign Minister that the Afghan government would swiftly bring the perpetrators of this heinous attack to justice.
The Afghan government must prevent terrorists from undermining Pakistan-Afghanistan relations," Bilawal said, adding that Pakistan is not intimidated by such cowardly attacks.
The Foreign Ministry dismissed reports of the withdrawal of diplomats from Kabul and said there were no plans to close the embassy or withdraw diplomats from Kabul.
In response to a question at a briefing on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Afghanistan will honor a promise not to use its territory for terrorist activities in other countries.
He said that Minister of State Hina Rabbani Khar raised important concerns and preferences of Pakistan during her visit to Kabul and the two sides agreed to develop follow-up mechanisms on various issues.
The Afghan side assured that the territory of Afghanistan will not be used for terrorist purposes against Pakistan or any other country," he said. Meanwhile, the United States condemned Friday's attack on the Pakistani embassy in the Afghan capital. of the mission, Ubaid Nizamani, a senior diplomat.
We express our condolences and wish those affected by the violence a speedy recovery.
The United States is deeply concerned by the attack on a foreign diplomat and we are calling for a full and transparent investigation," US State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement on Friday.