Pakistan PM says 'Afghan citizens' helping suicide bombers

PM Sharif: Militants aided by Afghan citizens attacking Pakistan; govt. urges Afghan govt. to prevent use of its soil for terrorism.

Militants behind a spate of suicide attacks in Pakistan were being helped by "Afghan citizens" across the border, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said, days after a deadly bombing at a political gathering near the countries' shared frontier.

Mr. Sharif stopped short of accusing Afghanistan's Taliban government of knowingly allowing attacks from its soil, but he did say Pakistan militants were operating from "sanctuaries" in the neighbouring country.

Islamabad has previously said fighters from the Pakistan Taliban were operating freely from Afghanistan — a charge Kabul routinely denies.

Mr. Sharif's remarks late Tuesday followed a security briefing and a visit to victims of Sunday's blast, which killed 54 people and wounded dozens more at a gathering of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) political party workers in Khar.

The attack was claimed by the Pakistan chapter of the Islamic State group, who have a bloody rivalry with the Taliban.

"The Prime Minister noted with concern the involvement of the Afghan citizens in the suicide blasts," a statement from Mr. Sharif's office said.

It noted there was "liberty of action available to the elements hostile to Pakistan in planning and executing such cowardly attacks on innocent civilians from the sanctuaries across the border".