Afghan govt desires better ties with Pakistan

KABUL: The Afghan government desires better relations with all its neighbours, including Pakistan, and believes in all the resources and means that can help them meet the goal, Taliban chief spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said on Tuesday.

His statement came a day after the National Security Committee (NSC), under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, asked the government in Kabul without naming it not to provide sanctuaries to Pakistani terrorist groups on its soil, reports Geo News.

Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in terror incidents, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, during the past couple of months after the TTP declared to end the ceasefire with Pakistan. Earlier, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, in an interview with a Pakistani news channel, said, “Islamabad may target the TTP in Afghanistan if Kabul does not take action to dismantle them”.

Expressing his disappointment over the recent statements by the Pakistani authorities, the Taliban spokesperson said they were trying their best to ensure that the Afghan soil was not used against Pakistan or any other country.

“It is also the responsibility of Pakistan to try to control the situation and avoid issuing baseless and provocative statements,” he said, adding that such statements and an atmosphere of mistrust were not in the interest of any party.

“The Afghanistan government does not only give importance to peace and stability inside the country, but also in the entire region,” the Taliban spokesperson said and vowed that his country would continue its efforts in this regard. On Monday, the NSC decided that no country will be allowed to provide sanctuaries and facilitation to terrorists and Pakistan reserves all rights to safeguard its people. The resolve came during the 40th meeting of the NSC held in Islamabad, according to an official statement issued by the Prime Minister’s House.