ISLAMABAD: The government on Thursday lodged a protest with Afghanistan over the killing of 23 kidnapped Pakistani paramilitary soldiers in an Afghan area and sought action against the group behind the butchery. The group is believed to have sanctuaries there.

Adviser to PM on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz conveyed Pakistan`s `strong protest and serious concern` to Afghan Foreign Minister Zarar Maqbool Osmani at a meeting on the sidelines of a Saarc ministerial meeting in Male, Maldives.

The killing of 23 Frontier Corps soldiers, claimed by the Mohmand chapter of the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) over the weekend, had led to suspension of dialogue between the government and a TTP`s nominated committee.

The negotiations started after the government renewed talks offer to the TTP on Jan 29.

The protest with Afghanistan constituted the first official confirmation that the TTP had carried out the execution of the kidnapped soldiers inside Afghanistan.

Even the Foreign Office was not clear if it had been conclusively established that the killings took place on the Afghan soil.

Addressing the weekly media brief-ing a little before the meeting in Maldives, FO spokesperson Tasneem Aslam said: `As far as our information is concerned, we are in the process of verif ying where exactly the FC people were martyred and where their bodies are.

`If confirmed that this had happened in Afghanistan, we would definitely contact the Afghan government and take appropriate measures.

Mr Aziz reminded the Afghan foreign minister about the agreementreached at the Ankara trilateral summit last week according to which the three countries agreed not to allow use of their territories against each other and made commitment to take action against groups involved in sabotage activities.

`The Adviser urged the Afghan government to take prompt action to apprehend and punish the perpetrators of this heinous and inhumane crime,` said a statement issued by the Foreign Office on the meeting.