ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Thurs­day reiterated Pakistan’s desire to address the issue of terrorism with Afghan­istan through dialogue and cooperation.

Speaking at the weekly FO briefing, Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said: “Pakistan has repeatedly said that we prioritise dialogue and cooperation in finding solutions to issues of mutual concern and that is why Pakistan has been engaged in conversations and dialogue with Afghanistan to fight the threat that we face that is of terrorism that emanates from these groups which are currently based in Afghanistan.”

She was responding to questions about Pakistan’s air strikes against Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group targets inside Afghanistan on Monday after militants based there carried out an attack on a Frontier Corps camp on March 16.

Afghanistan’s Taliban administration had res­ponded angrily to the air strikes and fired heavy weapons into Pakistan from across the border in retaliation.

“We will continue to engage with Afghanistan so that we are able to defeat these terror groups and the threat that they pose to Pakistan and the friendship between Pak­istan and Afghanis­tan,” she further said, adding that “The channels of communication between the two countries remain open.”

She recalled that a Pakistani proposal for jointly confronting terrorism has been on the negotiation table for some time. “We hope going forward, the two countries can work together to find joint solutions to combat terrorism,” she added.

Emphasising the importance of eliminating the terror groups threatening Pakistan’s security, Baloch said, it was important that the two countries collaborate for the re­­moval of “a major issue” weighing the relationship down.

The spokesperson, however, avoided ruling out the possibility of future strikes inside Afghanis­tan. “We will only take any action in any direction, dialogue or otherwise, depending on the situation that arises,” she maintained.

Baloch at the same time restated Pakistan’s respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan.

“The 18th of March operation was not targeted against the government or institutions or the people of Afghanistan. It was a targeted operation against terrorist hideouts and sanctuaries,” she stressed, saying that the strikes against Gul Bahadur sanctuaries were carried out after the group’s involvement in the FC Camp attack was proven and with the realization that this group has not been effectively countered by the Afghan Taliban administration.

Ms Baloch hit back at the Afghan Taliban statement on the air strikes implying that Pakistan’s Afghan policy was being run by the military “generals” noting that the action of March 18 was taken after concerted deliberations within the government and it had the full ownership of the country’s leadership.