Pakistan urges Kabul to 'identify real issues' instead of blame game

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan's top military commanders on Tuesday urged the Afghan government to "look inward and identify the real issues", instead of blaming Islamabad for every terrorism incident.

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa Tuesday presided over a special Corps Commanders' Conference here at the General Headquarters (GHQ), which reviewed regional security environment in the backdrop of recent terrorist incidents in Afghanistan, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

The forum expressed solidarity with Afghan people and security forces on the loss of precious lives, and vowed to continue its support and cooperation with Afghanistan in fight against terrorism and militancy.

The conference took exception to the unwarranted accusations and threats against Pakistan in the aftermath of Kabul blast.

"It concluded that instead of blaming Pakistan, Afghanistan needs to look inward and identify the real issues," the ISPR stated.

While reaffirming continued support to regional peace and stability, the forum reiterated Pak Army's resolve to defend the motherland against all types of threat.

Ghani criticizes Pakistan’s role in fomenting terror 

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, in a series of messages on Twitter following a regional peace summit in Kabul on Tuesday, criticised Pakistan’s alleged role in fomenting terror but also offered a path forward.

I would be remiss to my people if I did not say that our top priority must go to finding an effective way to [initiate] dialogue with Pakistan, said Ghani in one of dozens of tweets.

He shared that Kabul has offered Pakistan a vision of prosperity, linking south and central Asia together through trade, investment and peaceful coexistence. “And yet today we suffer from an undeclared war of aggression. We will not get drawn into a blame game. We have tried [all sorts of negotiations] to bring an end to conflict and terror but Pakistan continues to host terrorist sanctuaries, he said further.

“Pakistan still believes that sponsoring terror is a controllable tool that can be switched on and off as part of the means to achieve goals,” he claimed.

“This cannot continue. We will not let it continue. We want peace with Pakistan. We want to be able to trust Pakistan and we want the chance for friendly, cooperative relationships that will reduce poverty and promote growth on both sides of the frontier,” he warned.

Ghani also said that their “problem [and] challenge is that they cannot figure out what is it that Pakistan wants. “What will it take to convince Pakistan that a stable Afghanistan helps them?” he questioned.

Recognising Pakistan’s ‘legitimate’ regional security interests, he said they have offered appropriate guarantees of neutrality and continue to make an unconstrained offer for a state-to-state peace dialogue.

“But we cannot, nor can any signatory to the UN Counter-Terrorism Convention, accept that terrorism or the hosting of terrorists who use military explosives and techniques to blow up our innocent young men and women, is or can ever be an acceptable tool of diplomacy,” he stated.

So we again call on the Government of Pakistan to propose its agenda and a mechanism for that dialogue which can lead us to peace and prosperity, the Afghan president suggested.