Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations: Pakistan rejects allegations of Taliban support
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DANIAL KHAN TAXILA "The foreign office of Pakistan has rejected Afghanistan's allegations of support to the Haqqani network or the Taliban of using Pakistani soil for carrying out attacks in Afghanistan. The foreign office says Pakistan has been taking action against all terrorist groups in its territory. It is Pakistan's commitment to eradicate terrorism. The Foreign Minister, Khawaja Asif visited the Afghan Embassy to convey condolences over the recent terrorist attacks in Kabul, where he said that both Afghanistan and Pakistan were victims of terrorism. According to the foreign ministry, a high-level Afghan delegation visited Islamabad and held talks with Pakistan agreeing to work together to strengthen mutual trust and bilateral engagement. The Afghan Ambassador, Omar Zakhilwal told the foreign minister that cooperation should be focused on upholding mutual commitment for not letting the use of their soils against each other. Meanwhile, the foreign office says that all international reports, including those from the United States, have indicated that a large territory in Afghanistan is being used by a number of terrorist groups as sanctuary. Analysts say blaming Pakistan for security lapses inside Afghanistan is unfair, especially when such large spaces and support to these elements is available within the country. The first meeting of bilateral working groups will be held in Kabul today and Pakistan's delegation will be led by the Foreign Secretary. Pakistan proposes to formulate five working groups for engagement in the areas of counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing, military, economy, trade and transit interaction, refugees' repatriation and connectivity. Danial Khan, CGTN, Taxila."