'Unleashing the Taliban': Pakistan shuns Afghan army chief’s comments

General Karimi alleges the Taliban are under Pakistan's control.

ISLAMABAD: The Afghan army chief’s comments regarding Pakistan’s strong control over the Taliban are yet another attempt to malign the country, a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Wednesday.

In a BBC interview, General Sher Mohammad Karimi had said Pakistan could end the Afghan war “in weeks” if it were serious about peace.

The foreign office said the allegations that Pakistan “controls” the Taliban and has “unleashed” them on Afghanistan have no basis and we reject them categorically.

“Pakistan has exercised extreme restraint in the face of highly provocative language used by the Afghan civil and military officials over the last few months, not to mention some totally fabricated accusations,” the statement said.

“Such comments also reflect insincerity on the part of some elements in Afghan government. On the specific request of the Afghan leadership itself, Pakistan has been fully supportive of the reconciliation process. Our concrete steps to facilitate this process, are well known,” it added.

The foreign office statement stressed that Pakistan will not be deterred in its efforts to support the international community’s efforts to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan.

“We would, however, hope that the Afghan officials would refrain from levelling baseless allegation and work towards creating a conducive environment that helps advance the shared objectives of peace, stability and prosperity,” it said.