Afghanistan calls in senior Pakistani diplomat over remarks by Prime Minister Khan
Afghanistan has summoned a senior Pakistani diplomat over remarks by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan, who speculated about a new government in Kabul.
The Afghan government has lambasted the words as “flagrant interference” in the country’s domestic affairs.
On Friday, the Pakistani premier expressed hope that the ongoing negotiations between the Taliban militant group and the United States lead to peace in war-torn Afghanistan.
Khan hoped that “a good government” would be formed in Kabul, “a government where all Afghans will be represented.”
The remarks prompted the country’s foreign ministry to summon Pakistan’s counselor in Afghanistan to account for Khan’s remarks.
“Afghanistan expressed its grave objection on Pakistan's government and deemed such remarks a flagrant interference in its internal affairs,” Sibghatullah Ahmadi, Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, tweeted on Saturday.
This is the second time in the past three weeks that Kabul has summoned a senior Pakistani diplomat for clarification and they clearly illustrate the longstanding tensions between the two neighbors at a sensitive time.
In February, the ministry called in Pakistani Ambassador Zahid Nasrullah Khan over his comments that Afghan peace negotiations could be affected if India resorted to violence against Pakistan.
The Taliban have reiterated opposition to direct talks with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's administration in Kabul. However, Ghani has repeatedly stressed that no peace deal between the Taliban and the US could be finalized without involving his government.
US negotiators have been negotiating a ceasefire with the Taliban and their role in the country’s political future, including Ghani's government. The latest round of talks lasted 16 days and finished on Tuesday. Further talks are expected later this month.
The Taliban's five-year rule over at least three quarters of Afghanistan came to an end following the US invasion in 2001 but 18 years on, Washington is seeking truce with the militants.
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