ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned an "assassination attempt" against his country's head of mission in Afghanistan after Pakistan's embassy in Kabul was attacked on Friday.
The foreign office said in a statement a Pakistani security guard got "critically injured" while trying to protect the head of mission, Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani, during the attack.
The statement also urged the Afghan interim administration to thoroughly investigate the incident, apprehend the culprits and hold them to account.
Prime Minister Sharif also expressed shock at the development while applauding the bravery of the security guard.
"I strongly condemn [the] dastardly assassination attempt on [Pakistani] Head of Mission [in] Kabul," he wrote in a Twitter post. "Salute to brave security guard, who took bullet to save his life."
"I demand immediate investigation & action against [the] perpetrators of this heinous act," he added.
While it is not clear who launched the attack, Pakistan's interior minister Rana Sanaullah said on Thursday Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a proscribed militant network, was enjoying "all sorts of facilities in Afghanistan."
Sanaullah issued the statement after a recent suicide bombing in the southwestern Balochistan province that targeted police providing security to polio workers.
The TTP claimed responsibility for the attack in Balochistan, making the Pakistani minister say it should be "a matter of concern" for the government in Kabul since the top leadership of the group was based in Afghanistan.
The Pakistan foreign office also asked the administration in Kabul to "take urgent measures to ensure the safety and security of Pakistani diplomatic personnel and citizens in Afghanistan."
