Pakistan rejects baseless, unfounded allegations regarding Kandahar attacks: FO

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The Foreign Office on Wednesday rejected allegations regarding the latest Kandahar attacks.

“Pakistan rejects baseless and unfounded allegations regarding the latest Kandahar attacks. No hard evidence or intelligence related information has been shared to date with Pakistan to substantiate such claims,” the FO said in a statement.

“In the presence of elaborate mechanisms under Afghanistan -Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Stability (APAPPS) to mutually and effectively address and investigate any such unfortunate incidents, it would have been more appropriate to invoke the relevant arrangement instead of resorting to media blame game which is contrary to the seven principles of cooperation agreed between the two sides, earlier this year,” it added.

The Afghan leadership had claimed that the attack was “plotted in Pakistan”.

General Abdul Razeq, one of Afghanistan’s most powerful security commanders, was killed on Thursday in a shooting attack by a bodyguard in Kandahar province after a high level security meeting ahead of elections in the country.

US Army Brigadier General Jeffrey Smiley, was confirmed as one of two Americans wounded in the attack. Top NATO commander in Afghanistan General Scott Miller was unhurt.

Taliban claimed responsibility for the assault, which decapitated the security command in one of the country’s most strategically important and contested provinces.