“That is why Pakistan is holding talks with Afghanistan to address the violent actions coming from groups based on Afghan soil,” the diplomat told the media.

Baloch noted that the channels of communication between the two governments will remain open and collaboration will continue to eliminate terrorism, which affects the security and friendship between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and recalled that a Pakistani proposal to jointly fight terrorism has been on the negotiating table for some time.

However, according to the national press, the Islamabad spokeswoman avoided ruling out the possibility of future attacks inside Afghanistan. “We will only take measures in any direction, dialogue or not, depending on the situation that arises,” she emphasized.

After seven Pakistani policemen were killed in a terror attack in North Waziristan on Saturday, Islamabad launched in response attacks on targets in Paktika and Khost provinces early on Monday against suspected terrorists belonging to the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, according to an official statement. Kabul issued a protest saying that civilian homes were targeted and that women and children were killed in the attack.

In a recent editorial, Dawn noted that while terrorist attacks against civilians and the police must not go unanswered and borders must be defended, unilateral actions cannot become the norm to solve conflicts.

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