Afghanistan-Pakistan relations are tense again. PM Imran Khan has called for an immediate inquiry into the brutal killing of Superintendent of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Police Tahir Khan Dawar in Afghanistan. Pakistan has raised concerns over Afghanistan’s way of handling the issue, describing it as ‘distasteful behaviour’.
- Afghanistan-Pakistan “Undeclared War” Must End; Ashraf Ghani Urges Pakistan
- Pakistan Irked by Growing Chinese Relations With Afghanistan?
According to various media reports, Dawar had disappeared on October 26th in the F-10 area of Islamabad. He was out for a walk and disappeared, presumed to be abducted by terrorists. On Wednesday, the social media was abuzz with photographs of SP Dawar’s tortured body.
The Tribune Pakistan revealed that the body with a hand-written note was in Dur Baba district of Nangarhar, regarded as a volatile Afghan province. The note stated that Dawar was abducted and killed by Wilayat-e-Khurasan, a little-known terrorist group. The group is affiliated with the Khurasan chapter of Islamic State. It is said that the group avenged the killings of its members by SP Dawar with the help of the military.
The Director-General, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor tweeted that “His (SP Dawar) abduction, move to Afghanistan, murder and follow-up behaviour of Afghan authorities raise questions which indicate involvement or resources more than a terrorist organization in Afghanistan.” He reiterated the call for cooperation.
The Afghan officials had refused to hand over the mortal remains of the cop to a Pakistani delegation as the body had been buried by local residents at a cemetery in Dur Baba’s Momand Dara area. It was exhumed on Wednesday and shifted to Jalalabad headquarters for the autopsy.
Pakistan’s State Minister Shaharyar Afridi and Shaukat Yousafzai have condemned the Afghan government’s attitude. In a press conference, they revealed that the Afghan government again refused to hand over the over.
“The Afghanistan government’s attitude was deplorable. Governments should not have such attitudes. We went to Torkham to receive the body with full honour but Afghan officials’ attitude was no good.”
Furthermore, The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs registered a strong protest with the Afghanistan charge d’affaires. “Written and verbal demarches were made.”
Pakistan authorities are investigating the incident and have reiterated for Afghan security forces to fully cooperate. They have called for border fencing and bilateral border security coordination.
