Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: A special Corps Commanders’ Conference was held at the General Headquarters on Tuesday during which the forum expressed its solidarity with the people and security forces of Afghanistan in the backdrop of recent terror incidents, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

The statement added that while expressing their support for the Afghan people, the corps commanders also expressed serious reservations over “the unwarranted accusations and threats” directed at Pakistan in the aftermath of the Kabul bombing.

“The forum also concluded that instead of blaming Pakistan, Afghanistan needs to look inward and identify the real issues,” read the ISPR statement.

The statement also said that the forum reiterated the army’s resolve to “defend the motherland against all types of threat”.

The statement came hours after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani accused Pakistan of waging an “undeclared war of aggression” against his country.

At least 90 people were killed and more than 300 wounded on June 1 when a massive truck bomb ripped through Kabul’s diplomatic quarter, bringing carnage to the streets of the Afghan capital just days into the holy month of Ramazan. The death toll climbed to 150, as of Tuesday. It was not immediately clear what the target was. But the attack underscores spiralling insecurity in Afghanistan, where a military beset by soaring casualties and desertions is struggling to beat back the insurgents. Over a third of the country is outside government control.

The Foreign Office (FO) had said in a press release that the blast caused damage to the residences of some Pakistani diplomats and staff, while some sustained minor injuries.

“Pakistan strongly condemns the terrorist attack in Kabul… that has caused loss of precious human lives and injuries to many,” the FO said.

“Pakistan being a victim of terrorism understands the pain and agony that such incidents inflict upon the people and society.” The FO had extended condolences to the government and people of Afghanistan and condemned “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations”.

On Sunday, Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz also said that the Afghan authorities should undertake a transparent investigation into the terror incident in order to make a determination about the perpetrators of the attacks based on concrete evidence.

“We have witnessed baseless accusations by certain elements inside and outside Afghanistan, made within minutes of the attack and obviously before any investigation. This accusatory approach is instigated by those who have no interest in peace and stability in Afghanistan and their agenda is to damage the Pak-Afghan relations,” he had said.

In an interview with the Voice of America (VOA), Pakistan’s Ambassador to UN Maleeha Lodhi had said that Afghanistan should turn its attention to reversing the deteriorating security situation in the country instead of blaming Pakistan.