Pakistan protests recent statements by Ghani, Mohib

PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): Islamabad has conveyed its serious concerns to Kabul, over recent statements and baseless allegations by Afghan leaders.

In an interview last week, President Ashraf Ghani accused Pakistan of operating an organised system of support for the Taliban.

“The Taliban’s decision-making bodies like Quetta, Miran Shah and Peshawar Shuras are named after the Pakistani cities,” Ghani told Der Spiegel.

On Monday, the Foreign Office handed the ambassador of Afghanistan in Islamabad a strong demarche over Ghani’s remarks.

Similarly, the president’s national security advisor said: “ISI, Pakistan’s intelligence agency, is not taking mercy on you (Taliban). They neither want you nor will they help you reach power.”

On a visit to eastern Nangarhar province on Saturday, Hamdullah Mohib told the Taliban Pakistan was sacrificing them for its own war.”

The Foreign Office said Pakistan has repeatedly explained that groundless accusations eroded bilateral trust and vitiated the environment between the two brotherly countries.

Such accusations also disregarded the constructive role being played by Pakistan in facilitating the Afghan peace process, the ministry argued.

Ambassador Najibullah Alikhel was summoned to the Foreign Office, where a formal protest was lodged with him over remarks by Ghani and his NSA.

FO spokesperson Zahid Hafeez said the Afghan side was urged to effectively utilize available forums like the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) to address bilateral issues.

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