Kashmir A Bilateral Issue, Pakistan Linking It With Afghan Peace Process To Prolong Violence On Our Soil: Afghanistan

Asserting that Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan, Afghanistan’s ambassador to United States Roya Rahmani has slammed her Pakistani counterpart for linking current situation in Kashmir with the ongoing peace efforts in her country, reports The New Indian Express.

"The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan strongly questions the assertion made by Pakistan's ambassador to the United States, Asad Majeed Khan, that the ongoing tensions in Kashmir could potentially affect Afghanistan's peace process," Rahmani said in a statement.

Any such statements that link the evolving situation in Kashmir to the Afghan peace efforts are reckless, unwarranted and irresponsible, the top Afghan diplomat said.

“Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan,” she said while adding that her country believes Pakistan's motive and insistence to purposely tie Afghanistan to the Kashmir issue is a deliberate attempt to prolong the violence happening on Afghan soil.

She added that the Pakistan’s effort to link the two is a poor excuse used by Islamabad to justify its inaction against the Taliban and to avoid taking a decisive stance against the militant group.

Rahmani said that Pakistani Ambassador’s assertion that the Kashmir issue could compel Pakistan to reposition its troops from western frontier with Afghanistan to its eastern border with India is a misleading statement “which inaccurately suggests that Afghanistan poses a threat" to Pakistan.

"There is no threat from Afghanistan to Pakistan. The Afghan government sees no credible reason for Pakistan to maintain tens of thousands of military troops on its western frontier," she said.

The Afghan diplomat added that the statement by her Pakistani counterpart runs contrary to the positive and constructive engagement Afghan President had with Prime Minister Imran Khan and Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on his recent visit to Islamabad.