Pakistan on Friday denied a senior Afghan official’s claim that Islamabad was “providing close air support” to the Taliban on the one hand, and warned the Afghan side of airstrikes near its border on the other.
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“The accusations made by Amrullah Saleh, the first vice president of Afghanistan, undermine Islamabad’s sincere efforts to participate in finding a peaceful solution in Afghanistan,” the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The statement added, “The Afghan side informed us of its intention to carry out an air operation against the Taliban within its territory, located opposite the Pakistani “Shaman” sector.
In turn, we sent a positive response confirming the right of the Afghan government to act on its territory.”
The statement pointed out that “Pakistan recently rescued 40 Afghan soldiers who fled across the border into Pakistan after violent clashes with the Taliban, and returned them with respect and dignity to their country.”
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The ministry also expressed its “commitment to peace in Afghanistan, and to continue to pursue this end regardless of the critics.”
The statement concluded by saying that “it is important that all energies at this critical juncture be focused on achieving a comprehensive and wide-ranging political settlement in Afghanistan.”
For his part, the Afghan First Vice President described Islamabad’s exile as “just a pre-written paragraph”.
On Thursday evening, Amrullah Saleh claimed, in a tweet via Twitter, that the Pakistan Air Force is providing close air support to the Taliban in some areas.
In addition, it “officially warned” the Afghan side that “any move to expel the Taliban from the Spin Boldak region will be confronted and repelled by the Pakistan Air Force.”
