Pakistan responds to 'baseless allegations' made by Afghan leadership

• FO says it has conveyed serious concerns related to the recent "irresponsible statements and baseless allegations" made by Afghan leadership about Pakistan.
• Says groundless accusations erode trust and vitiate the environment between the two brotherly countries.
• Statement comes after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, in an interview with German media, said Pakistan supports Afghan Taliban.

Pakistan's Foreign Office (FO) on Monday conveyed serious concerns related to the recent "irresponsible statements and baseless allegations" that the Afghan leadership made against Pakistan.

According to a statement released by the FO in this regard, Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said that Pakistan has conveyed its serious concerns to the Afghan side by making a strong demarche with the Ambassador of Afghanistan in Islamabad.

Pakistan has emphasised that groundless accusations erode trust and vitiate the environment between the two brotherly countries and disregard the constructive role being played by Pakistan in facilitating the Afghan peace process, the statement said.

The Afghan side has been urged to effectively utilise the available forums, like the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS), to address all bilateral issues.

The statement came two days after Afghani President Ashraf Ghani, in an interview with German publication Der Spiegel, said that Pakistan supports the Afghan Taliban through an "organised system" comprising logistics, financial assistance, and recruitment facilities. 

"The names of the various decision-making bodies of the Taliban are Quetta Shura, Miramshah Shura and Peshawar Shura – named after the Pakistani cities where they are located. There is a deep relationship with the state," Ghani told the publication. 

When asked if he still believed in the Afghan peace process, Ghani said: 

"Peace will primarily be decided upon regionally, and I believe we are at a crucial moment of rethinking. It is first and foremost a matter of getting Pakistan on board. The US now plays only a minor role. The question of peace or hostility is now in Pakistani hands."

Ghani also said that Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Bajwa has clearly assured Afghanistan that the restoration of the Emirate or dictatorship by the Taliban is not in anybody’s interest in the region, especially Pakistan. However, some of the lower levels in the army still hold the opposite opinion in certain cases. It is primarily a question of political will."