Pakistan rejects baseless comments attributed to it by Afghan Officials

(2013-07-02)

Pakistan has rejected as completely baseless the comments and “ideas” attributed to it by Afghan officials relating to alleged “power-sharing formula” with the Taliban or attempting to “bring fiefdoms to Afghanistan”. This is a fabrication as no such notions have been expressed by any Pakistani official.

As is well known, this is not our policy to encourage any fissiparous tendencies. Infact, Pakistan has always supported a peaceful, stable and united Afghanistan. We are playing a constructive and positive role to facilitate an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation process. In his telephone conversations with President Karzai since taking office last month, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to support the efforts for peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region.

The negative statements from Afghan leadership and officials tend to vitiate the atmosphere and constrain development of close and cooperative ties between the two countries.

We hope that Afghanistan will reciprocate our constructive efforts, refrain from attributing misleading ideas to us, and work together for sustainable peace and stability that is so vitally important for progress and prosperity of the two countries and the region.

Islamabad
02 July 2013

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