Pakistan rejects Afghan claims of ISI involvement in parliament attack
PHOTO: EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday dismissed Afghan intelligence claims that an officer of Pakistan’s spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence, and the Haqqani Network were involved in the attack on the Afghan parliament earlier this week.
Afghanistan’s intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security (NDS), alleged on Wednesday that the brazen attack on the parliament building in Kabul was planned in Peshawar.
“We reject these allegations. These allegations have been levelled against ISI and its officers in the past as well,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah said.
Read: Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to share intelligence
“Pakistan is a well-wisher of Afghanistan and we are committed to good neighbourly relations and commitment to our relations with Afghanistan,” Qazi said, while responding to a questions regarding the NDS’s allegations reported by the
Associated Press.
Taliban had claimed responsibility for Monday’s attack that had killed two people. No MP was hurt in the three-hour standoff.
Read: Taliban insurgency: Two dead in Afghan parliament attack
“Mawlawi Shireen, the military commander of Haqani network, masterminded the attack and Bilal, an officer of the ISI provided financial and logistical support for it,” NDS spokesperson Haseeb Sediqi told the media.
Sediqi could not provide any proof to substantiate his allegations and also claimed that about Rs7.5 million were spent on the attack.
The FO spokesperson said Pakistan and Afghanistan have been interacting at the highest level. “We have said in the past and I want to reiterate that enemies of Afghanistan are the enemies of Pakistan and a guiding principle of our relationship is that we will not allow our soil to be used against others.”
Responding to a question about a recent meeting between the Afghan Taliban leaders and the Kabul-backed peace council in the Chinese city of Urumqi, Qazi said Pakistan had facilitated the meeting.
Read: Afghan Taliban feign ignorance over Sartaj Aziz’s peace talks claim
“Will facilitate an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation process,” the spokesperson reiterated.
Pakistan rejects Afghan claims of ISI involvement in parliament attack - The Express Tribune