Pakistan Rejects Karzai’s Assertion As Misplaced, Baseless

Islamabad, Oct 10, IRNA – Pakistan has rejected as ‘entirely misplaced and without any basis’ comments reportedly made by Afghan President Karzai about conditions for a proposed Strategic Partnership Agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Afghan Karzai said in Kabul last week that conditionality will be attached to negotiations on a Strategic Partnership Agreement with Pakistan. Listing conditions, Karzai said at a press conference that neighbors must stop the export of terrorism, suicide bombers, interference and all the other things which result in killing and disturbing the Afghan people's tranquility and destabilizing Afghanistan. “Once we are assured that Pakistan with which we want to have a friendly relationship meets these conditions - eliminates terrorism and extremism and stops the training and export of insurgency to Afghanistan - Afghanistan will be ready to work on this,” the Afghan President said. Commenting on Karzai’s assertions, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman clarified that Pakistan desires to promote good neighborly relations with Afghanistan on the basis of mutual respect and mutual interest. “In this regard comments reportedly made by President Karzai and certain other quarters in Afghanistan are entirely misplaced and without any basis”. The Spokesman further clarified that the proposed Strategic Partnership Agreement was suggested by President Karzai during Trilateral Summit in New York. The same was also reflected in the Press Release dated 29 September 2012 issued from New York. Referring to allegations against Pakistan, the Spokesman said that Pakistan has invested heavily both in terms of human and economic losses to promote stability in Afghanistan. The Spokesman underscored that Pakistan would like to have a mature and responsible dialogue with Afghanistan. However, diplomacy through the media needed to be avoided./end