NEW DELHI: India on Thursday took aim at Pakistan for its support of terrorist groups which carried out the attack in Kandahar in Afghanistan that killed 43 people earlier in the day.
“States hosting the terrorists and their sanctuaries must eliminate them immediately and without distinction,” said the Ministry of External Affairs in a statement.
“The terror attacks demonstrate that safe havens and support systems continue to be available to the terrorists,” it added.
New Delhi has been vocal about Pakistan's inaction to weed out terrorism from its home turf.
Last month, at the UN Security Council (UNSC) meet, India had urged for the implementation of sanctions crippling the source of funds for Afghanistan-based terrorists, many of whom have safe havens across the border in Pakistan.
The country's big diplomatic win came when the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) nations unanimously condemned, the violence carried out by terrorist groups, including Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad based out of Pakistan.
US President Donald Trump also hit out at Pakistan saying "it has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists," while unveiling the Afghan strategy on August 22.
Terming the Thursdays attack on Afghan troops barbaric, the MEA said, “India is gravely concerned at the recent escalation of terrorist violence against Afghanistan, despite hopes recently kindled by new strategies as well as efforts for bringing peace in the country.”
“The beginning of Afghan-owned and Afghan-led national reconciliation requires an end to violence.
Coming on the heels of similar tragedies in Paktia and Ghazni, we share the grief of the families of the victims and the suffering of the Afghan people.”
More than 120 people died this week after terrorists launched three separate attacks in Afghanistan. On Thursday, 43 Afghan soldiers died after insurgents attacked a military base in southern Afghanistan. The death toll is expected to go up.
