Stanikzai slams Pakistani PM’s remarks on Afghanistan

KABUL (Pajhwok): Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, slamming recent statements of Pakistani officials about the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, says evidence indicates the neighbouring country receives millions of dollars for every US drone strike from its territory.

Earlier, Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri was killed in a drone strike in Kabul. The caretaker government however, insists the killing of Zawahiri is just a claim and investigations into the incident are still ongoing.

Last month, Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the caretaker government, said US drones were still flying over Afghanistan. He called it an obvious violation of Afghanistan’s airspace.

Three days after the spokesman’s statement, Defence Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid alleged US drones entered Afghanistan from Pakistan. He asked Islamabad not to allow the use of its airspace against Kabul.

Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai told senior officials and leaders of the caretaker government here on Tuesday US drones were flying over Afghanistan in violation of the Doha agreement.

“US drones enter Afghanistan against the Doha agreement. We have evidence that the country, from which these drones fly, is paid millions of dollars for each flight,” he claimed.

Stanikzai slammed recent remarks of the Pakistani prime minister and said they would not allow anyone to make such statements against the Islamic Emirate.

“We ask the people of Pakistan to stop their PM and foreign minister from giving statements against Afghanistan,” he added.

Last week, Premier Shehbaz Sharif told the UN General Assembly in New York the international community was concerned about the threat posed by terrorist groups based in Afghanistan.

Bilal Karimi, deputy spokesman for the government, said: “The Islamic Emirate is committed to working with other countries and there is no group in Afghanistan that posed a threat to others.”

Also, Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said in an interview with France 24 a few days ago that the Afghan government had not implemented the commitments it held out to the international community. For this reason, he said, the world had not recognized it.

But according to Stanikzai, over the past 40 years, neighbouring countries have assisted and hosted the Afghans and they appreciated the gesture.

He, however, urged regional countries not to interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.

sa/mud