Pakistan summons Afghan envoy, issues demarche over Bannu attack

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday summoned the Afghan Chargé d’Affaires and issued a demarche over a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) attack targeting the Fateh Khel Police Post in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. On May 9, 2026, a terrorist attack claimed the lives of 15 police personnel and left four others injured, including a civilian. According to the Foreign Office, findings from a detailed investigation, supported by technical intelligence and collected evidence, suggest that the attack was planned by terrorists based inside Afghanistan. Pakistan expressed serious concerns over the continued use of Afghan territory for cross-border militant activities and informed the Afghan side that Islamabad reserves the right to take firm action against those responsible for the attack. The ministry also pointed to reports by the UN Monitoring Team and other international bodies, saying they had documented the presence of multiple militant groups operating from Afghan soil under a permissive environment. Officials stressed that counterterrorism is a shared responsibility and urged the Afghan Taliban authorities to fulfil their commitments by ensuring Afghan territory is not used for attacks against other countries. An official statement said Pakistan had repeatedly called on the Afghan Taliban administration to take concrete and verifiable measures against Fitna-al-Khawarij, Fitna-al-Hindustan and ISKP/Daesh militants operating from Afghanistan. It added that Pakistan had engaged constructively with the Afghan Taliban through several rounds of dialogue facilitated by friendly countries, but meaningful action against these groups had yet to materialise. The Afghan Taliban authorities were also warned that Pakistan would not compromise on its national security or the safety of its citizens if militant organisations continued to find shelter inside Afghanistan.