Kabul Rejects Pakistan Accusations Over Shrine Attack
Presidential spokesman denies Afghanistan is a safe-haven for terrorists, adding that Pakistan should rather deal with threats on home soil
The presidential palace on Friday rejected Pakistan’s accusations that the recent suicide attack on the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Pakistan was masterminded from Afghanistan soil.
The Palace said in a statement Afghanistan has proven its honesty in fighting terrorism and now it is Pakistan’s turn to destroy terrorist safe havens on its own soil.
"Afghanistan has never allowed anyone to use its soil for terrorist activities against regional countries or its neighbors. We also expect other countries not to let insurgent groups harbor safe havens on their soil," said Shah Hussain Murtazawi, deputy spokesman of president.
In reaction to the recent shrine attack Pakistan closed the Torkham and Spin Boldak border ports and said the attack was masterminded in Afghanistan by supporters of foreigner elements. Pakistan did not name the foreign elements.
The Pakistani military also summoned the Afghan ambassador in Islamabad and submitted the names of 76 terrorists in Afghanistan and asked the Afghan government to target those elements.
In reaction to Pakistan’s allegations Murtazawi said Pakistan should, instead of making accusations, eliminate the safe havens of insurgents on its own soil.
Meanwhile, Amrullah Saleh, the former head of the National Directorate of Security said attacks such as that on the shrine, was a result of supporting terrorists by Pakistan. He added that that Pakistan has itself turned into a safe haven for terrorists.
"We are not the behind the attack and we do not need to explain anything. Pakistan people know that all the problems are rooted in one point and the point is using terrorists and extremist groups in the region. In the past 40 years, these groups have been trained in Pakistan," Saleh said.
Although Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack, Sartaj Aziz, foreign affairs advisor to the Pakistan’s prime minister, alleged in a phone discussion with Mohammad Hanif Atmar, the National Security Advisor that the attack is carried out by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a branch of Taliban.
Pakistan foreign ministry has reported that Aziz told Atmar that Kabul did not acted on Pakistan’s repeated requests on eliminating anti-Pakistan terrorists.
http://www.tolonews.com/afghanistan/kabul-rejects-pakistan-accusations-over-shrine-attack