Afghanistan should not allow use of territory against Pakistan

  

Pakistan on Wednesday urged Afghanistan not to allow its soil to be used against it days after the Pakistani Taliban elected a new chief, who Pakistani officials say, operate from the neighbouring country.

Pakistani Taliban elected Maulvi Fazalullah following the killing of Hakimullah Mehsud in a U.S. drone attack on November 1^st.

Fazalullah, who had led his fighters in Swat valley in 2009 in bloody campaign against the Pakistani forces, later fled Afghanistan and regrouped his fighters in the border province of Nuristan, Pakistan security officials say.

The army says Fazalullah fighters have carried out series of deadly attacks on Pakistani border posts and killed dozens of soldiers and civilians in the border regions.

Fazalullah appeared in a video last month and claimed responsibility for the roadside bomb attack that killed Major General Sanaullah Niazi in Dir District in September.

Foreign Ministry spokesman, Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry, Wednesday said Pakistan has made it clear on Afghanistan several times that it should not allow the use of its territory against Pakistan.

“We are confident that Afghanistan will take the required steps in this regard,” the spokesman said when asked about the presence of the new Chief of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Fazalullah in Afghanistan at his weekly briefing.

Kabul has never officially confirmed the presence of Pakistani militants and Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman, Janan Mosazai, said on Sunday that Afghanistan will never allow its territory to be used against neighbours particularly Pakistan.

To a question, the spokesman said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit to Kabul is on the cards but no dates have yet been fixed.

When asked about the whereabouts of the Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Bradar, the spokesperson said that he is in Pakistan and can contact his family members.

“Pakistan had released Mullah Bradar to advance the Afghan peace and reconciliation process,” he said, adding Pakistan will continue to play positive role to the Afghan peace and reconciliation process.

     

To another question, Mr Chaudhry said Pakistan’s national security adviser, Sartaj Aziz delivered a message of goodwill to Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, in his courtesy call in New Delhi on Wednesday.

He said Sartaj Aziz affirmed desire of Pakistan to have friendly and peaceful neighborly relations with India.

“The advisor also expressed Pakistan's desire for resumption of dialogue process,” the spokesman said, adding Pakistan wants resumption of dialogue process with India for the resolution of all outstanding issues.

Regarding the meetings of Sartaj Aziz  with the Indian External Affairs Minister and the Indian National Security Advisor he said both sides discussed all issues including the situation on Line of Control, where forces of the two countries have exchanged fire over the past few months.

He said Director Generals of Military Operations of both the countries have made a number of contacts on the line of control situation and concurred to normalize situation at the working boundary. He said that ceasefire agreement of 2003 should be respected for peaceful environment between the two neighbors.