Kabul, Feb 20 (IANS) The frosty relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan is set to worsen in the wake of recent remarks by Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
During a United Nations Security Council meeting chaired by China, Dar emphasised the significance of peace and stability in Afghanistan. In response, Afghanistan has maintained complete silence.
However, experts from Afghanistan came out strongly against the remarks.
“The remarks of Pakistan’s Foreign Minister are contradictory. Afghanistan seeks an economy based on cooperation, non-interference in other nations’ affairs, and security for all, including Pakistan and the world. If there are territorial and border disputes, they should be resolved through dialogue. I hope Pakistan abandons hypocrisy and upholds the principles of mutual respect in its relations with Afghanistan,” said Zalmai Afghan Yar, an Afghan military analyst, as reported by Afghanistan’s Tolo News.
Earlier on multiple occasions, the Afghan government has claimed that Afghanistan’s territory is not being used against any country; rather, it is the territories of neighbouring countries that are being used against Afghanistan. Another Afghan military affairs expert Sadiq Shinwari recently demanded Pakistan first dismantle the terrorist infrastructure and centres operating within its own territory and “stop pursuing a double standards policy towards Afghanistan”.
Last week, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held a meeting regarding Daesh’s activities in the region. The terrorist group Daesh, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), remains a serious global security threat despite years of sustained efforts to dismantle its operations, UN counter-terrorism officials warned during the meeting.
Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Munir Akram, during the meeting, claimed that Afghanistan has become a hub for recruiting Daesh Khorasan fighters. The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the other hand, called the statements baseless, as reported by Tolo News.
Zia Ahmad Takal, the head of public relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that insecurity in Afghanistan is being organized from Pakistan and that the perpetrators of recent incidents have entered the country from across the Durand Line, according to Afghan media reports.
Meanwhile, some Afghan political analysts claim that Daesh is currently operating from Pakistan against Afghanistan and other countries.
“In Pakistan’s security policy, the use of terrorist groups against its neighbours has always been one of its fundamental strategies. Unfortunately, the Pakistani military and civilian governments have been the creators and supporters of terrorist groups,” analyst Wais Naseri said.
–IANS
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