Pakistan rejects Afghan allegations of terror sanctuaries
Pakistan's ambassador to UN Masood Khan says terrorists operate on both sides of the border.
Khan said that Pakistan operates as one state where all institutions of the state have consensus that terrorism is a threat to both Pakistan and Afghanistan .
UNITED NATIONS:
Pakistan on Thursday categorically rejected Afghan accusations over existence of terrorist sanctuaries on Pakistani soil in the United Nations Security Council, reiterating peace and stability in Afghanistan is a key constituent of Islamabad's foreign policy.
"I reject most emphatically (Afghan) Ambassador (Zahir) Tanin's argument - root, trunk and branch - that terrorist sanctuaries exist in Pakistan and some elements continue to use terrorism as an instrument of foreign policy," Pakistan's permanent Ambassador to the UN Masood Khan said during the 15-member Council's debate on the report of United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
"No, sir, this is not true; and you know this is not true," he said looking towards his Afghan counterpart. "And this is not good diplomacy. By using such arguments, you cast aspersions on our sincerity.”
Khan said that Pakistan operates as one state where all institutions of the state have consensus that terrorism is a threat to both Pakistan and Afghanistan and therefore both countries should work together to eliminate this scourge.
"Peace and stability in Afghanistan is a key constituent of Pakistan's foreign policy, which is supported by all state institutions."
The ambassador insisted that success of the policy requires reciprocity, trust and goodwill. He made it clear that his rejoinder was not a tit-for-tat response.
"I have said this to highlight that terrorists operate on both sides of the porous border. Many attacks against Pakistan are planned on Afghan soil. That is why we need more aggressive policing and surveillance of the border. This will also help stop the shelling. We must not allow terrorists manipulate and divide the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
Insisting that political trust needs to be built, Khan said that the joint commission, chaired by Pakistan's Prime Minister and the President of Afghanistan, is the best forum for pursuing this objective.
Earlier, the Afghan ambassador spoke of about continued acts of terrorism in his country, saying the people of Afghanistan "are still the main victims of this heinous (that) continue to exist in Pakistan's soil and some elements continue to use terrorism as an instrument of foreign policy."
Pakistan on Thursday categorically rejected Afghan accusations over existence of terrorist sanctuaries on Pakistani soil in the United Nations Security Council, reiterating peace and stability in Afghanistan is a key constituent of Islamabad's foreign policy.
"I reject most emphatically (Afghan) Ambassador (Zahir) Tanin's argument - root, trunk and branch - that terrorist sanctuaries exist in Pakistan and some elements continue to use terrorism as an instrument of foreign policy," Pakistan's permanent Ambassador to the UN Masood Khan said during the 15-member Council's debate on the report of United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
"No, sir, this is not true; and you know this is not true," he said looking towards his Afghan counterpart. "And this is not good diplomacy. By using such arguments, you cast aspersions on our sincerity.”
Khan said that Pakistan operates as one state where all institutions of the state have consensus that terrorism is a threat to both Pakistan and Afghanistan and therefore both countries should work together to eliminate this scourge.
"Peace and stability in Afghanistan is a key constituent of Pakistan's foreign policy, which is supported by all state institutions."
The ambassador insisted that success of the policy requires reciprocity, trust and goodwill. He made it clear that his rejoinder was not a tit-for-tat response.
"I have said this to highlight that terrorists operate on both sides of the porous border. Many attacks against Pakistan are planned on Afghan soil. That is why we need more aggressive policing and surveillance of the border. This will also help stop the shelling. We must not allow terrorists manipulate and divide the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
Insisting that political trust needs to be built, Khan said that the joint commission, chaired by Pakistan's Prime Minister and the President of Afghanistan, is the best forum for pursuing this objective.
Earlier, the Afghan ambassador spoke of about continued acts of terrorism in his country, saying the people of Afghanistan "are still the main victims of this heinous (that) continue to exist in Pakistan's soil and some elements continue to use terrorism as an instrument of foreign policy."