Pakistan 'strongly condemns' baseless insinuations by Afghan NSA

• Pakistan takes exception to repeated and baseless insinuations by Afghan NSA Hamdullah Mohib.
• FO terms his comments counterproductive to Afghan peace process.
• FM Qureshi meets Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation Chairperson Abdullah Abdullah in Turkey.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday strongly condemned the statement made by Afghanistan National Security Adviser (NSA) Hamdullah Mohib accusing Pakistan of interfering in Afghanistan's internal matter and termed it a deliberate attempt to nullify peace efforts.

This is the second time Pakistan has had to issue a strong rejoinder to the Afghan NSA in recent weeks. The latest war of words was triggered by Mohib’s tweet, accusing Pakistan of interfering in the internal matters of Afghanistan.

On June 5, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had lashed out at Mohib for his comments against Pakistan and called on him to "reflect and correct" his behaviour.

Responding to media queries, the Foreign Office spokesperson strongly condemned the "baseless insinuations" by the Afghan NSA and noted that Pakistan’s role in the Afghan peace process has been widely acknowledged by the international community.

“The repeated impertinent and unwarranted remarks by the Afghan NSA are deeply concerning as they are tantamount to a calculated attempt by his office to disregard and nullify the progress in the peace process so far,” the FO spokesperson added.

He said Pakistan would also like to remind the Afghan NSA of a mutual understanding reached in the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS), obligating both sides to avoid public blame-game and use official channels to discuss the complete gamut of bilateral relations. "Statements that erode mutual trust should be avoided,” the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, FM Qureshi met Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation Chairperson Abdullah Abdullah on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey.

FM Qureshi highlighted Pakistan’s meaningful contribution to facilitate direct talks between the US and Taliban as well as the Afghan parties.

He urged the Afghan leaders to expedite progress in intra-Afghan negotiations for lasting peace in Afghanistan.

Qureshi added that progress in the Afghan peace process was critical to reduce space for spoilers, who did not wish to see the return of peace in the region.

The foreign minister underscored that negative statements and blame game only served to vitiate the environment and strengthen the hand of the spoilers who wished to derail the peace process.