Islamabad driving wedge between Kabul, Beijing: Mujahid

KABUL (Pajhwok): The interim government, in response to Pakistan’s statement regarding an attack on Chinese engineers, says the issue has nothing to do with Afghanistan.

Zabihullah Mujahid, chief spokesman for Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), said Islamabad was striving to create distrust between Afghanistan and China.

On March 26, a suicide attack killed five Chinese engineers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

In response to the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement about the perpetrators of the attack, Mujahid said the issue had nothing to do with Afghanistan and Pakistan should maintain its own security.

Earlier, Islamabad had sought cooperation from the interim government in investigations into the attack in Bisham.

Mujahidadded: “Targeting Chinese nationals in Pakistan is related to Pakistan and has nothing to do with Afghanistan. The report published by Pakistanis is an attempt to create distrust between China and Afghanistan. We have repeatedly denied this, and it is also illogical.”

Amid growing interaction between the two sides, Mujahid said, China was investing in Afghanistan’s different sectors.

TOLOnews quoted him as saying: "The relationship between Afghanistan and China is in a very good state. We have official interaction and exchanges ..."

Earlier, Ministry of Defence spokesman Enayatullah Khawarazmi too had scorned the Pakistan army’s claim that the attack on Chinese engineers had been planned in Afghanistan.

sa/mud