Karzai demands cancellation of ISI, Afghan spy agency intelligence accord

Statement says former Afghan president has expressed concern at the signing of the cooperation between spy agencies

ISLAMABAD: Staying true to his anti-Pakistan stance, former Afghan president Hamid Karzai demanded Afghanistan to immediately cancel the agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s spy agencies.

"Hamid Karzai has urged the country's leadership to immediately declare the agreement null and void," a statement from the office of the former president said.

The statement added, "Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai has expressed serious concerns at the signing of the cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan spy agencies.”

Read: Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to share intelligence

Karzai said Afghanistan should desist signing agreements that are against Afghanistan's national interests. Karzai's Pashto-language statement was also posted on his official Facebook page.

On Monday, the two countries said they have agreed to boost anti-terror cooperation for sharing intelligence and training Afghan officials.

A spokesperson for the Afghan intelligence service National Directorate of Security (NDS) Abdul Haseeb Siddiqui confirmed the development.

Siddiqui said the MoU had identified the “enemy”, fundamental threats and a mechanism to share intelligence techniques.

Read: Pak-Afghan ties: FWO to expand Torkham-Jalalabad Road

“The NDS will look into Pakistan’s sincere cooperation on the basis of the MoU,” Siddiqui said, adding that the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and NDS had previously signed MoUs in 2006 and 2009 as well, but those could not prove effective due to complications in the agreements.

Karzai, who stepped down in September last year after serving as the longest president, has no official position in the national unity government. However, reports suggest he is regularly giving advice to the leadership.

The former president, who has spent nearly 25 years in Pakistan as a refugee, had also opposed President Ghani's decision to send army cadets for training to Pakistan.

Karzai had refused to send army officers to Pakistan and had signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement with India in 2011 that also include an Indian commitment to increase its training of Afghan security forces. Indian and Afghan media say nearly 350 Afghan army officers are currently getting training in India under the agreement.