Attack on Pakistani Embassy in Afghanistan: Pakistan’s embassy in Kabul was attacked on Friday by Chargé d’affaires in Afghanistan Ubaidur Rehman Nizamani, according to a Foreign Office (FO) press release.
The FO said the embassy compound was attacked and while Nizamani remained safe, a guard, Sepoy Israr Mohammad, who was protecting the head of mission, was “critically injured” in the attack.
The press release said Pakistan “strongly condemns” the assassination attempt on Nizamani and the attack on the embassy compound.
“The Interim Government of Afghanistan must immediately conduct a thorough investigation into this attack, arrest the culprits, hold them accountable and take urgent measures to ensure the safety and security of Pakistan’s diplomatic personnel and citizens in Afghanistan,” the FO said.
An embassy official told AFP that the lone attacker “got behind the cover of the house and started shooting”.
“The ambassador and all other staff are safe, but we are not leaving the embassy building as a precaution,” he said.
Nizamani assumed office on 4 November.
The Afghan Foreign Ministry condemned the incident. Taliban Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi issued a statement saying security agencies would “seriously investigate” the incident and identify the perpetrators for punishment.
The statement said the Afghan government would not allow certain “interested elements” to threaten the security of diplomatic mission officials.
Pakistani PM Shehbaz and FM Bilawal condemn the incident
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was the first Pakistani official to condemn the “vile assassination attempt”.
“Say hello to the brave security guard who saved his life with a bullet. Prayers for the watchman’s speedy recovery.
“I demand an immediate investigation and action against the perpetrators of this heinous act,” the prime minister wrote on Twitter.
He later tweeted that he had spoken to the head of mission and was relieved to hear that Nizamani was safe.
“I expressed the solidarity of the government and the people with him and at the same time assured him and his mission full support and assistance in all respects. I have also conveyed prayers for the speedy recovery of the brave security guard,” the Prime Minister said.
“We condemn it in the strongest possible terms. The safety and security of our diplomats is of vital importance,” said Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
“We pay tribute to the bravery of Sepoy Israr and pray for his speedy recovery.
Two gunmen were killed in an attack on the headquarters of an Afghan politician
Separately on Friday, three unidentified militants detonated a car bomb and tried to attack the headquarters of an Afghan party headed by veteran politician Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, officials said.
Ghairat Baheer, an official of the Hizb-i-Islami party, told AFP that two attackers were killed when they tried to enter the Kabul building – which also houses a mosque – and the third fled.
“The car exploded outside so there was a little damage,” he said.
Officials said Hekmatyar – a wily politician who served as prime minister in the 1990s – was inside at the time but was not injured.
Obaidullah Muddabir, a senior district police officer, confirmed that two of the attackers had been killed but said he believed a third had been captured.
“I’m off campus… the situation is under control,” he said.
“The guards at the Hizb-i-Islami office told us there were three attackers. They killed two while one was wounded before they reached their destination.”
Hekmatyar is seen in Afghanistan as a political survivor who fought against Soviet occupation, the first Taliban government in power and the Western-backed government that ruled until August last year.