Pakistan terms Ghani statement a ‘gross interference’

Islamabad: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi Thursday sternly responded to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, calling his statements, regarding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, as ‘gross interference.’ In a series of tweets, President Ashraf Ghani wrote that the Afghan government has “serious concerns about the violence perpetrated against peaceful protesters and civil activists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.” To which, the Pakistani foreign minister retorted, “We reject the tweet by President Ashraf Ghani. Such irresponsible statements are only gross interference” Further schooling President Ghani, FM Qureshi wrote, “Afghan leadership needs to focus on long-standing serious grievances of the Afghan people.” “Such irresponsible statements are only gross interference,” he remarked. In another tweet, Ghani said, “We believe it is the moral responsibility of every government to support civil activities that take a stand against the terrorism and extremism that plagues and threatens our region and collective security. Otherwise there could be long-standing negative consequences.” It is worth mentioning that Pakistan has been playing a vital role in bringing the United States and the Taliban to a negotiation table in order to conclude 17-year long Afghan conflict.