Afghanistan's turn to destroy terrorist safe havens: Aizaz Chaudhry
'Pakistan has destroyed all such safe havens; it is now Afghanistan's turn to do so,' Chaudhry said
September 06, 2017
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States Aizaz Chaudhry on Wednesday said it is now Afghanistan’s turn to destroy terrorist safe havens on its soil.
In an interview with the state-owned television channel, Chaudhry reiterated that Pakistan has destroyed all terrorist safe havens on its soil.
'Pakistan is willing to work with Afghanistan,' he said adding that Pak-Afghan relations should not only be viewed from the US perspective.
The ambassador insisted that terrorists present in Pakistan have roots in Afghanistan, and certain points raised in the new US policy for the region are debatable.
The envoy also stated that Pakistan has borne losses worth billions in the war on terrorism.
He had said earlier that only Afghan-led dialogue can bring peace in the neighbouring country.
Chaudhry's statement comes a day after Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir rejected the declaration naming terrorist groups in the region by leaders of BRICS countries and said there are no safe havens for terrorists on Pakistani soil.
Earlier, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Defence strongly condemned the hostile and threatening statements made by US President Donald J Trump and the top US commander in Afghanistan Gen John W Nicholson.
The committee took strong exemption to the statements and adopted a condemnation resolution unanimously.
In the resolution adopted by the parliamentary body, the claim of the US president regarding Pakistan providing safe havens for terrorists was rejected.
Afghanistan on August 22 welcomed US President Donald Trump’s revised vision for the Afghan war, stating that it was the “result of intense deliberations” and took into account “both our countries’ needs and considerations.”
Afghanistan’s Ambassador to the US, Hamdullah Mohib, released a statement hailing Trump’s announcement regarding US policy towards Afghanistan and Southeast Asia.
Trump announced his strategy for the region last month, harshly criticising Pakistan for providing a safe haven to "agents of chaos".
The US president cleared the way for the deployment of thousands more US troops to Afghanistan, backtracking from his promise to rapidly end America's longest war, while pillorying ally Pakistan.
