Pakistan’s top diplomat Jilal Abbas Jilani has said that a terrorist attack launched by hundreds of TTP militants into Pakistan’s Chitral district was not sanctioned by the Taliban government of Afghanistan.

Jilani, who is the caretaker foreign minister of the country, spoke to journalists at the Parliament House where he attended a Senate standing committee briefing.

The minister said that the Chitral attack was an ‘isolated incident’. “Now we are seeing there that what the situation there is. I think it is an isolated incident and it had no sanction of the Afghan government.”

During the briefing, he told the Senate panel that the Pakistan ambassador in Kabul had raised with issue of cross-border attack with the Afghan government.

The interim Afghan government was to issue a statement on the incident, he said.

A statement by the Pakistan military on Wednesday said that immediately before the attack terrorist movement was detected in Afghanistan’s Nuristan and Kunar provinces and the information was ‘timely shared with the interim Afghan government.’

The statement also said that the interim Afghan government was expected to fulfil its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by terrorists for perpetrating acts of terrorism against Pakistan.

The terrorist attack on Wednesday morning resulted in a day-long fight between Pakistani soldiers and the TTP terrorists. At least 12 terrorists were killed and four Pakistani soldiers were martyred, the military said.

Pakistan trying to join BRICS

The caretaker foreign minister also told the Senate panel that Pakistan is making efforts to join the global economic alliance of BRICS, which has offered membership to ten new countries including Saudi Arabia and Iran. However, Pakistan is not among the invitees.

Jilani said that Pakistan was late to arrive at the table to join the body.

He informed the panel that each of the BRICS members enjoyed veto powers on the inclusion of new countries.

Jilani said Pakistan was against bloc politics and desired a balanced relationship with the United States and China.

When JUIF Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haider asked if the United States ever sided with Pakistan against India, the foreign minister said that Washington had helped Pakistan with education and defence during its formative years.