Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of interfering in its domestic matters

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday issued a strongly worded statement against Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, accusing him of interfering in the internal matters of its country.
“The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan strongly condemned the recent remarks made by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Mr. Shah Mahmood Qureshi, on the domestic affairs of Afghanistan,” said the statement.
“The Government of Afghanistan believes that relying on policies of good-neighborliness, Pakistan needs to take practical steps toward enhancing bilateral ties in various areas and refrain from making such irresponsible statements regarding the internal affairs of Afghanistan,” it added.
Qureshi had urged the Afghan government to implement the prisoner swap agreed between the United States and Taliban while signing a peace deal in Qatar on Saturday.
This was in response to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s objection to the arrangement as a precondition to direct talks between the insurgent group and his government.
Ghani’s decision to turn down the understanding also led to the resumption of Taliban attacks in the northeast of the country, making the Pakistani foreign minister urge the two warring factions to show restraint and reach a negotiated settlement.
Pakistan also played an important role in bringing the United States and Taliban together, allowing the two sides to work out their differences and bring an end to the 19 years of conflict in the war-torn country.
“Such statements can only lead to creating an environment of distrust and cannot be effective in enhancing the relationship between the two countries,” said the official Afghan statement. “Unless and until such statements are avoided, taking effective steps toward consolidating bilateral relations will not be feasible.”