ISLAMABAD: Hours after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif spoke to President Ashraf Ghani and condemned the suicide attack in Paktika province, Afghan Senate Chairman Fazal Hadi Muslimyar on Tuesday pointed fingers at Pakistan for the blast that has killed nearly 60 people.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack at a volleyball match; however, the Afghan intelligence agency has blamed the Haqqani Network for the incident.
Nawaz Sharif called President Ashraf Ghani Monday evening and conveyed deep sympathy and condolences over the loss of human lives caused by a suicide terrorist attack in Paktika, the foreign ministry said.
The prime minister condemned the deplorable and cowardly act and conveyed Pakistan’s solidarity with the brotherly Afghan people, a foreign ministry’s statement said. The premier expressed the confidence that, through joint efforts, Pakistan and Afghanistan would succeed in rooting out terrorism.
The Afghan “Mesharano Jirga” or Senate on Tuesday debated the deadly blast and some members delivered speeches against Pakistan following the harsh remarks by Muslimyar, a leader of Abdul Rab Rasoul Sayyaf’s group, Afghan media reported.
Muslimyar alleged that attacks like Paktika are being “carried out by Pakistan’s security agencies,” Pajhwok news agency reported.
Muslimyar, an ethnic Pashtoon from Nangarhar province, had served as a guard to Sayyaf’s commander Malang Yar during the revolt against the Soviets. He spent years as refugee in Pakistan during the period.
“Afghanistan must talk to the Pakistan army and its intelligence with the cooperation of the international community as silence on Pakistan would amount to a sin,” he remarked during the Senate session.
Muslimyar’s comments could affect the efforts of the two countries who are trying to bury the hatchet of 13 years of tensions and mistrust and start a new era.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 26th, 2014.
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The depth of grief and the emptiness one feels at the loss of a dear one is undescribable. The political leaders make calls and condole. Does anyone think the suicide-bomber was also someone's child? Someone is grieving for that person too. Does the state not have the responsibility to prevent anyone from being used in this manner? Is it because they are poor, so disposable? Often, these individuals don't have a choice. The remote is in someone else's hand. Isn't that tragic? It is said the 'charity organizations' take care of the families and put them on pension. Can a society get sicker than this? Will they ever jettison these policies for humanity's sake.
Pakistan housed Fazle Hadi Muslimyar and millions of other Afghans and continues to do so, during their time of their 'distress'. Now back in their country, though families of many of them would still be enjoying our resources in Pakistan, it is time for them to pay us back. This is a lesson for our policy makers too. The forward looking,democratic minded and progressives in Pakistan always believed that PDPA and the Sour revolution was best thing to happen in Afghanistan since King Amanullah and should be supported to consolidate. Unfortunately we were called traitors then and now Pakistan is being paid back by 'friends' like Fazle Hadi Muslimyar. He must know that we are victims of of the mentality of the Paktika striker and are fighting against them. This mentality we must understand was promoted by the likes of Muslimyar and his foreign mentors.
Only Ghani and top afghan military commanders were shown evidence that zarb e azb is targeting haqqanis by pak army. Unfortunately the rest of the afghan politicians are ignorant about the shift in pak army's strategy.
One can find everything negative about Pakistan on ET.