Pakistan

Pak-Afghan relations strained due to Indian influence: Khawaja Asif

Asif claimed the strained between the two countries was due to Indian influence on Afghanistan's side

APP April 07, 2017

Defence minister says Pakistan will continue to eradicate terrorists’ camps within its territory. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif, on Thursday, said that the state was serious about improving relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Speaking to a private news channel, the minister claimed the strained relations between the two countries was due to Indian influence on Afghanistan's side.

He emphasised the sacrifices of the Pakistan armed forces in the country's "war on terror", adding that every possible step would be taken to flush out militants and the menace of "terrorism" from the country.

He also appreciated the armed forces for extending their services during the census process.

When asked about former army chief, General Raheel Sharif's appointment as head of Saudi-led military alliance, Asif said the decision of the coalition forces was yet to be taken.

Pakistan to assuage Iran’s fears on Raheel’s role

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan appear to be back on track after months of tensions and war of words, as the Prime Minister’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Wednesday reported progress in his recent talks with senior Afghan officials in London.

Briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz said the London meeting with Afghan National Security Advisor Hanif Atmar had helped break the ice.

COMMENTS (6)

Junaid | 7 years ago | Reply @numbersnumbers: India has only itself to blame if Pakistan has sought strategic depth against it; it happened thanks to India's moronic policy of refusing to resolve the core bone of contention between the two countries and then using Afghanistan as a "second front" against Pakistan when it had no locus standi at all in the whole matter of Afghanistan.

Zahir | 7 years ago | Reply @numbersnumbers: That's because Pakistani proxies came into the whole story many decades after Afghanistan and India's aggression against Pakistan continued relentlessly. After all those decades Pakistan finally had enough and decided to give Afghanistan a taste of its own medicine. And then remember that Pakistan didn't tell the USSR to invade Afghanistan. When that happened, Pakistan wasn't stupid enough to sit back and do nothing. So the only delusional one is you.

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Virkaul | 7 years ago | Reply So Liaqat Ali Khan was killed by RAW?

Shj | 7 years ago | Reply @sterry: Why Afghanistan should gang up with India when it doesn't even share it borders with India? Pakistan should close the terror havens to maintain good relationship with its neighbors.

numbersnumbers | 7 years ago | Reply @sterry: Note that delusional @sterry curiously avoids talking about the effect that Pakistani proxies have had on Afghanistan over the past 15 plus years! Pakistan has inflicted the Taliban terrorists upon Afghanistan in search of strategic depth against India, which is why Pakistan now has a crap reputation among Afghans!

sterry | 7 years ago | Reply India's interference through Afghanistan has been going on for over 60 years when the first Pakistani Prime Minister Liaqat Ali Khan was killed by an Afghan agent. India's state policy is to use Afghanistan to terrorize Pakistan and this hasn't changed in decades. The Afghans are to be blamed for allowing themselves to be puppets which is why the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan should be permanently closed until Kabul realizes their folly. All the problems in Afghanistan are due to that country being an Indian puppet state instead of doing what is best for poor Afghans who are begging like refugees all over the world.

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