Afghanistan on Tuesday summoned Pakistan’s deputy ambassador to lodge a protest over what it called “irresponsible remarks” by Prime Minister Imran Khan on the formation of an interim government in Kabul, the Afghan foreign ministry said.
An Afghan Foreign Ministry’s statement said that Kabul had also called its ambassador in Islamabad, Atif Mashal, for “consultations”.
Section of the Pakistani media had quoted Imran Khan as suggesting an interim government in Afghanistan in his media interaction in Islamabad on Monday.
The Afghan Foreign Ministry described Imran Khan’s statement as interference in the internal affairs of Afghanistan.
Daily Times has learnt that the Afghan ambassador will be leaving for Kabul today.
Ambassador Mashal had arrived in Islamabad from Kabul on Tuesday and was called back in view of the diplomatic tension. Pakistani sources, however, said Pakistan had not recalled its ambassador in Kabul. It is the second time Afghanistan has summoned Pakistani diplomat this month over remarks about Afghanistan by the prime minister. Earlier, a Pakistani diplomat was called to the Foreign Ministry in Kabul after Imran Khan spoke about peace process in his speech in Bajaur.
Afghan presidential candidate Haneef Atmar also criticized the prime minister’s statement. In a series of tweets, Atmar said that the recent statement attributed to Prime Minister Imran Khan was a “willful interference” in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.
“Afghanistan is a sovereign nation & the Afghan people, not the leader of a neighboring country, can decide the future of govt & politics in our country,” he tweeted.
“To clarify, our position about the formation of a caretaker govt post 21st of May 2019 is strictly a domestic matter, based on a legitimate national concern & fully consistent with our constitution. Regardless of any foreign inference, we will continue to pursue this policy,” Atmar wrote on twitter.
Former senator Afrasiab Khattak also criticised Imran Khan’s remarks and said that his statement about an “interim government” in Afghanistan was “undoubtedly a gross violation of Afghan sovereignty”.
“The issues of transition process in Afghan reconciliation were deemed to be the subject of intra Afghan dialogue (supposed to be Afghan-led & Afghan-owned),” Khattak tweeted.
He said sovereignty and integrity of Afghanistan on the basis of a constitutional system approved by majority of Afghans is an inviolable red line for Afghans, adding the constitution can be of course amended through constitutional mechanism by Afghans.