RAWALPINDI, February 17 (DNA): Pakistan on Friday summoned officials from Afghanistan embassy and presented a list of 76 wanted terrorists to be handed over to Islamabad.

The information was shared by DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor in a message posted on Twitter.

The officials were summoned at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi to lodge protest against the use of Afghan soil by terrorists to carry out attacks in Pakistan.

The move comes in light of the recent terror attacks, the latest on Thursday night at shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan that has so far claimed at least 76 lives while over 250 others were wounded.

After the attack, Major-General Asif Ghafoor had vowed response towards the recent terrorist acts that he alleged were being executed on directions from hostile powers and from sanctuaries in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz phoned Afghan National Security Adviser (NSA) Hanif Atmar on Friday and expressed serious concerns regarding terrorist activities in the country being operated from Afghan soil.

Adviser conveyed to the Afghan National Security Adviser that terrorist group Jamat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) was behind these barbaric acts of terrorism.

He expressed serious concern that JuA continued to operate from its sanctuaries and safe haven in Afghanistan for undertaking terrorism in Pakistan and the Government of Afghanistan had not paid a heed to Pakistan’s repeated calls on the Afghan government to take action against the group and its activities based in Afghanistan. In this regard, Pakistan has shared a list of suspected JuA terrorists with the Government of Afghanistan for action against them.

The Adviser to the Prime Minister underscored that terrorism was a common threat and its elimination required close cooperation. He said it was important that Afghan government should take strong action against such elements to reaffirm that its soil was not used for terrorism in Pakistan.

Mr. Sartaj Aziz emphasized that cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan was vital for effectively combating the scourge of terrorism. In this regard, effective border management was required to prevent the movement of terrorist elements across the border.

The Afghan National Security Adviser expressed his government’s condolences over the loss of lives in the recent terrorist incidents in Pakistan. DNA