Pakistan rejects Afghan VP's allegations of PAF 'providing support' to Taliban

Pakistan on Friday rejected allegations made by Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh regarding Pakistan Air Force (PAF) 'providing close air support to [Afghan] Taliban' in certain areas of the country.

The Afghan vice president had made the preposterous claim on his official Twitter handle and had also alleged that the PAF had 'issued an official warning to the Afghan Army and air force that any move to dislodge the Taliban from Spin Boldak area will be faced and repelled'. This is not the first time Saleh has made baseless allegations against Pakistan.

The foreign ministry, in its reply, said the Afghan side had conveyed to Pakistan its intention of carrying out an air operation inside its territory opposite Pakistan's Chaman. " Pakistan responded positively to the Afghan Government’s right to act in its territory."

The statement further said normally such close border operations are not "acceded to by internationally accepted norms/standards/procedures, Pakistan took necessary measures within its territory to safeguard our own troops and population".

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"PAF never communicated anything to the Afghan Air Force. Such statements undermine Pakistan’s sincere efforts to play its part in an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led solution."

Acknowledging the right of the Afghan government to undertake actions on its territory, the ministry added that Pakistan recently rescued 40 personnel of the

We acknowledge Afghan Government’s right to undertake actions on its sovereign territory, it added.

The communique further added that Pakistan lately rescued 40 personnel of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) who fled to Pakistan and returned them to the Afghan government with respect and dignity, with a declared offer to ANDSF to provide all logistical support as requested.

"We remain committed to peace in Afghanistan and shall continue to endeavour towards this end irrespective of the detractors," the MoFA said. "It is, however, important that at this critical juncture, all energies are focused on achieving an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement in Afghanistan."

Earlier, Pakistan had shut the Chaman border for an indefinite period after the Taliban forces claimed they had captured the strategic border crossing of Spin Boldak and Wesh area along the frontier with the country, resulting in people being struck up at both sides of the border.

Taliban fighters have consolidated their positions in Wesh and other areas of the Spin Boldak district after taking control of all-important check-posts around the captured towns along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The offices of the Afghan government were also taken over by the Taliban forces.