Summary General Sher Mohammed Karimi accused Pakistan of controlling Afghan Taliban.
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - Responding to Afghan Army Chief Gen Sher Mohammad Karimi s remarks, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Gen Karimi s remarks are yet another attempt to malign Pakistan s image.
The allegations that Pakistan “controls” the Taliban and has “unleashed” them on Afghanistan are baseless, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
Afghan army chief in an interview with BBC, accused Pakistan of controlling and sheltering Taliban leaders.
"If [Pakistan] put pressure on [Taliban] leadership or convinced them what to be done, that can help a lot," the general said.
The Foreign Ministry rejected the allegations saying "We reject them categorically. Pakistan has exercised extreme restraint in the face of highly provocative language used by the Afghan civil and military officials over the last few months, not to mention some totally fabricated accusations," .
The ministry said "such comments reflect insincerity on the part of some elements in Afghan government. On the specific request of the Afghan leadership itself, Pakistan has been fully supportive of the reconciliation process. Our concrete steps to facilitate this process, are well known."\
"Pakistan will not be deterred in its efforts to support the international community’s efforts to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan. We would, however, hope that the Afghan officials would refrain from leveling baseless allegation and work towards creating a conducive environment that helps advance the shared objectives of peace, stability and prosperity," the ministry said.
Pakistan consistently denies wielding influence over the Taliban, saying many militants have based themselves across the border in Afghanistan s eastern province of Kunar, from where they are known to have carried out attacks in north-western Pakistan.
Securing the long, porous border between the two countries has long posed a major challenge to the authorities.
