'Baseless’: Afghanistan rejects Pakistan’s allegations over Islamabad attack
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Kabul: Afghanistan’s Ministry of National Defence has rejected Pakistan’s claims regarding the Islamabad mosque attack, terming them “irresponsible and baseless” and urging Pakistani officials to address internal security shortcomings, local media reported.
The statement comes after Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, in a post on X, suggested that preliminary findings indicated the attacker had travelled to and from Afghanistan.
In its response, the Afghan ministry said Asif “immediately and irresponsibly” blamed Afghanistan for the attack without conducting proper investigations. Afghan authorities noted that a similar pattern has been observed previously, particularly in incidents in Balochistan and other security events in Pakistan, Ariana News reported.
The ministry asserted that linking such attacks to Afghanistan “has no logic or foundation” and added that such claims do not address Pakistan’s internal security failures. It further questioned: “If they were truly able to identify the perpetrators immediately after the incident, then why were they unable to prevent it beforehand?”
Afghanistan also emphasised its commitment to Islamic values, which prohibit harming innocent civilians, and urged Pakistani security officials to take responsibility for their internal security lapses, review policies, and adopt a more constructive and cooperative approach toward the people of Pakistan and neighbouring nations, Ariana News reported.
The Islamabad suicide bombing on Friday at Imambargah Qasr-i-Khadijatul Kubra in the Tarlai area killed 36 people and injured more than 160, local media reported, citing hospital officials. The attack occurred during Friday prayers, according to Pakistani daily Dawn.
Authorities have identified the suspected attacker as Yasir Khan Yasir, a Peshawar resident who allegedly underwent militant training in Afghanistan. Preliminary findings suggest Yasir stayed in Afghanistan for nearly five months before returning to Pakistan, The Express Tribune reported.
Investigators are also examining possible links between the suspect and the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), though officials emphasised that the probe is at an early stage and no final conclusions have been drawn.
Sources said Yasir, reportedly influenced by the Salafi school of thought, received training at the Mansoor Istashhadi centre in Afghanistan’s northeastern Kunar province and had travelled to and from the country multiple times.
With IANS inputs
