Karzai urges Pakistan to avoid threats, review Afghan policies

Former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai on Tuesday called upon Islamabad to stop issuing threats and carry out “deep review” of its policies related to the neighbouring country, saying that prevailing “insecurity” in Pakistan is the result of policies of its government.

His statement came in response to yesterday’s National Security Committee (NSC) meeting wherein an unequivocal message was sent to the Afghan Taliban regime that Pakistan would not allow its neighbour to provide sanctuaries and facilitate terrorists.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif presided over the crucial huddle where attendees included relevant federal cabinet members, chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, all services chiefs, and heads of intelligence services. Significantly, it was the second meeting of NSC in less than a week.

The NSC, which convened amid a spurt in terrorist violence, was expected to primarily cobble up a new strategy or tweak the existing one to deal with the new security challenge.

“The forum concluded that no country will be allowed to provide sanctuaries and facilitation to terrorists and Pakistan reserves all rights in that respect to safeguard her people,” says the statement without naming Afghanistan.

Also read: Kabul urges Islamabad to 'avoid provocative statements'

Though not explicitly said, the statement indicated that Pakistan might resort to targeting the terrorist safe havens across the border if Afghanistan did not take the appropriate action. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has said international laws sanctions cross-border attack on terrorists’ sanctuaries.

"The people of Pakistan are Afghans' neighbours & brothers but insecurity & the current situation in Pakistan are mostly due to policies of the Pakistani govt," Karzai was quoted as saying by Tolonews.

In the statement, Karzai urged Pakistani government to have a "deep review" of its policies of the past decades and make changes to it.

The former Afghan president also asked Pakistan to avoid threats “over the use of excessive force and facilitate good and civilised relations with Afghanistan to ensure stability and peace in the region”.