Kabul backtracks on Besham probe assistance

Zabihullah Mujahid says Pakistan is trying to create distrust between Afghanistan, China

ISLAMABAD:

A day after Pakistan sought Afghanistan’s help in apprehending the perpetrators of a terrorist attack on Chinese engineers, the interim Taliban government on Friday turned down Islamabad’s request, claiming Kabul had nothing to do with the March 26 incident.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had sent the interior secretary to Kabul with a message to seek assistance from Afghanistan in the ongoing investigations into the Besham attack.

Secretary Muhammad Khurram Agha held talks with Interim Afghan Deputy Minister for Interior Muhammad Nabi Omari and shared evidence linking the attack on the Chinese engineers with the Afghan territory.

A Foreign Office statement said the Afghan side agreed to examine the findings of the investigation and expressed the resolve to work with the Pakistan side to take the investigation to its logical conclusion.

“The Afghan side reiterated its commitment to prevent the use of their soil for any terrorist activity against other countries, including Pakistan," the statement added.

However, the spokesperson for the Afghan Taliban government rejected Pakistan’s statement, saying Pakistan was trying to create distrust between Kabul and Beijing.

Zabihullah Mujahid, in response to the Foreign Office statement about the perpetrators of the attack on the Chinese citizens in Pakistan, said, “This issue has nothing to do with Afghanistan and Pakistan should ensure its own security,” he claimed.

He further said: “Targeting Chinese nationals in Pakistan is related to Pakistan and has nothing to do with Afghanistan. The report published by Pakistanis is an attempt to create distrust between China and Afghanistan. We have repeatedly denied this, and it is also illogical.”

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that the suspects involved in the March 26 terrorist attack on the Chinese engineers were identified. Speaking informally to the media in the Parliament House in Islamabad, he said that the interior secretary and the Foreign Office officials visited Kabul to brief Afghan authorities about those involved in the attack.

Earlier speaking at her weekly news briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Pakistan and Afghanistan had “robust channels of communication”, regarding Pakistan’s serious concerns about the terror threat that Pakistan faces from groups, which have hideouts and sanctuaries inside Afghanistan.

“Yesterday, talks were held at senior official levels and led by the interior secretary from the Pakistani side and the deputy minister for interior from the Afghan side and we have been engaged with each other to ensure that the Afghan territory is not used to create trouble in Pakistan. The Afghan authorities have reaffirmed their commitment to ensure that Afghan territory will not be used against third countries including Pakistan,” she added.

Pakistan’s move to seek Afghanistan assistance to apprehend the perpetrators of the March 26 attack came just days before Prime Minister Shehbaz is to undertake a visit to Beijing, where security of Chinese nationals would be one of the key talking points.

The Foreign Office on Friday official confirmed that at the invitation of President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang of China, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will undertake an official visit to China from June 4-8.

The visit will have three segments. Besides Beijing, the prime minister will visit the cities of Xi’an and Shenzhen.

In Beijing, the prime minister will meet President Xi Jinping and hold delegation-level talks with Premier Li Qiang. He will also hold meetings with Chairman, Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Zhao Leji and heads of key government departments.

An important aspect of the Prime Minister’s visit will be meetings with corporate executives of leading Chinese companies dealing in oil and gas, energy, ICT, and emerging technologies. In Shenzhen, he will address the Pakistan-China Business Forum with leading businesspersons, entrepreneurs, and investors from both countries. He will also visit Economic and Agricultural Zones in China.
“The Prime Minister’s visit is a manifestation of the iron-clad Pakistan-China friendship characterized by frequent high-level exchanges and dialogue,” the spokesperson said.

She said the two sides will undertake discussions to further strengthen the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership; upgrade China-Pakistan Economic Corridor; advance trade and investment; enhance cooperation in security & defence, energy, space, science & technology, education; and promote cultural cooperation and people-to-people contacts, thus setting the future trajectory of Pakistan-China friendship.

To a question, the spokesperson confirmed that Pakistan had received the invitation for the Ukraine peace summit. The invitation is under consideration, she added without providing further details.