Pakistan rejects Afghan’s claim on Kandahar attack

Pakistan on Wednesday rejected Afghanistan’s claimed of involvement in Kandahar attack, in which three top Afghan officials were killed in the southern state, was planned in the neighbouring country.

“Pakistan rejects baseless and unfounded allegations regarding the latest Kandahar attacks,” Pakistan’s Foreign Office said.

The statement come a day after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s claimed that the attack on slain Kandahar’s police commander Gen Abdul Raziq was planned in Pakistan.

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“I want to say that this conspiracy was plotted in Pakistan. So Pakistan should give us the criminals so that we can bring them to justice,” Ghani said during his visit to Kandahar on October 23.

In a statement issued by Pakistan’s Foreign Office said no hard evidence or intelligence related information has been shared to date with Pakistan to substantiate such claims.

It also said that there was elaborate mechanisms under Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Stability (APAPPS) to mutually and effectively address and investigate any such unfortunate incidents.

“It would have been more appropriate to invoke the relevant arrangement instead of resorting to media blame game which is contrary to the seven principles of cooperation agreed between the two sides, earlier this year,” it said.

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On October 18, a gunman dressed in Afghan Police uniform opened fire on a gathering, killing Kandahar Province’s police chief, General Abdul Raziq, provincial intelligence head Abdul Momin Hassankhail, and a journalist.

Following the attack, Pakistan condemned the violence just days before the Afghan Parliamentary elections.

 “Wish to see Afghan and other security forces succeeding to bring an end to this prolonged violence in Afghanistan. Peace in Afghanistan is essential for peace in the region,” Pakistan Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor tweeted after the terror attack.

COAS condemns Kandahar incident. “Wish to see Afghan and other security forces succeeding to bring an end to this prolonged violence in Afghanistan. Peace in Afghanistan is essential for peace in the region. Support all initiatives towards this end”, COAS.

— Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) October 18, 2018

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also condoled the death of the senior Afghan officials.

In a phone call to his Afghan counterpart on October 19, Qureshi assured him Islamabad’s full support to the democratic process in the war-torn country.

(With inputs from agencies)