Karzai urges Pakistan to avoid threatening Afghanistan

Former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai on Tuesday called on Islamabad to stop issuing threats and to carry out a “deep review” of its policies related to Afghanistan, saying that prevailing “insecurity” in Pakistan is the result of its own policies.

Karzai had been responding to a statement issued after Pakistan’s National Security Committee (NSC) meeting early this week which stated that Pakistan would not allow its neighbor to harbor terrorists.

The statement meanwhile implied that Pakistan might resort to targeting safe havens across the border.

Karzai however stated that the current insecurity in Pakistan is mostly due to policies of the Pakistani government. He urged Islamabad to carry out a “deep review” of its policies of the past decades and make changes to it.

The former Afghan president also asked Pakistan to avoid threats “over the use of excessive force and facilitate good and civilized relations with Afghanistan to ensure stability and peace in the region”.

Meanwhile, Hina Rabbani Khar, the State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Pakistan sent a message to Afghanistan on Tuesday stating that the country’s security is its red line.

Giving a briefing to the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, the minister of state said that Pakistan aimed to have cordial ties with its neighbors, adding that Pakistan should not be the victim of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) terrorist activities.

Khar, who recently visited Afghanistan, meanwhile stated that Afghan officials had given their complete assurance that their territory would not be used against Pakistan.

US weighs in

The United States has also responded to the situation and US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said at a press briefing on Tuesday that the US was aware of the NSC’s recent statement.

“The Pakistani people have suffered tremendously from terrorist attacks. Pakistan has a right to defend itself from terrorism,” Price said.

He said that the Islamic Emirate must uphold the very commitment they had made that their soil would never be used as a launchpad for international terrorist attacks.

“These are among the very commitments that the Taliban have been unable or unwilling to fulfill to date,” he added.

Islamic Emirate’s response

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid meanwhile said Tuesday that the IEA wants good relations with all neighboring countries, including Pakistan, and that the spate of “false” statements by Pakistani officials is regrettable.

He had been responding to the remarks and statement by Pakistan over their reports that Afghanistan’s soil is being used by militants against Pakistan.

Mujahid said the Islamic Emirate is determined to not allow Afghanistan’s soil to be used to pose threats to other countries including Pakistan.

“We are committed to this purpose, but the Pakistani side is also responsible for trying to resolve the situation, refraining from baseless allegations and provocative thoughts because it creates mistrust,” said Mujahid.

According to him, the Islamic Emirate values peace and stability in the country and wants stability for the entire region and continues its efforts for this purpose.