Daily Times

ISLAMABAD – Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri on Monday rejected allegations made by the Afghan leadership as baseless.

Pakistan has conveyed its serious concerns to the Afghan side by making a strong demarche with the ambassador of Afghanistan in Islamabad on the recent irresponsible statements and baseless allegations made by the Afghan leadership.

Pakistan has emphasized that groundless accusations erode trust and vitiate the environment between the two ‘brotherly’ countries and disregard constructive role being played by Pakistan in facilitating the Afghan peace process.

The Afghan side has been urged to effectively utilize available forums like Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) to address all bilateral issues.

GHANI’S CLAIMS

In an interview with Der Spiegel magazine, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani claimed that Pakistan ‘operated an organised system of support’ for the Taliban. “They (Taliban) receive logistics there, their finances are there and recruitment is there,” he alleged.

He had said that the names of the various ‘decision-making’ bodies of the militia are ‘Quetta Shura, Miramshah Shura and Peshawar Shura’ and these named after the Pakistani cities where ‘they are located.’ “There is a deep relationship with the state.”

About peace process, he said it was first and foremost a matter of getting Pakistan on board, as the US now plays only a minor role. “The question of peace or hostility is now in Pakistani hands,” he said. “We don’t want a new protecting power, and we don’t want to be part of regional or international rivalries,” he said.