KABUL (SW) – Recent comments by Pakistani Prime Minister, Imran Khan, regarding the establishment of an interim government in Afghanistan, has caused controversy.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday suggested an interim setup in Afghanistan as a possible solution to an apparent impasse in the ongoing peace process, while blaming the Afghan government for the stalemate in talks, Pakistan's Express Tribune said in a report.
According to the report, the suggestion came during Khan’s interaction with journalists at his office in Islamabad on Monday.
“The Afghan government was a hurdle in peace process that was insisting that Taliban should talk to it,” said Khan.
Former interior minister, Amrullah Saleh, has harshly criticized the Pakistani leader for these remarks. “The PM of Pak asks for abrogation of Afg constitution & demolition of democratic system as a way to break the so called deadlock in peace efforts. That is the price ISI wants us to pay to appease terrorism. Wonder why @MHaneefAtmar team echoes Pakistan's demand in a veiled way”, he tweeted.
Saleh blamed the potential presidential candidate, Haneeef Atmar, for echoing Pakistani demands. “In the meantime the @MHaneefAtmar campaign in a rally in Mazar also demanded an interim set up which won't come without abrogation of the constitution and destructive re-set of everything from Zero. Only fools believe in co-incidence. We await to know the roots of this collusion”.
However, Atmar too has rejected the remarks by the Pakistani premier as interference in Afghanistan’s domestic affairs. “We at the #PeaceAndModeration team condemn the inappropriate statement by Prime Minister of Pakistan. We call on our neighboring country to respect Afghanistan’s sovereignty and abide by internationally accepted norms of state behavior in its relation with our country”, he tweeted.
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