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Today's Paper | November 17, 2024

Updated 21 Jun, 2017 03:50pm

Afghan claim holding Pakistan responsible for Kabul attack 'baseless': FO

Pakistan has rejected Afghanistan's "baseless allegations" holding the former responsible for a deadly attack in Kabul that killed at least 90 people, the Foreign Office said Thursday.

In his weekly press briefing, Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said the Afghan intelligence agency's claim that Pakistan is behind the deadly bombing in Kabul's diplomatic quarter is "unfounded".

"Pakistan has always made sincere efforts to establish peace in Afghanistan," he said.

BBC quoted Zakaria as saying that the "rhetoric of blaming others" to hide Afghanistan's own failures was unhelpful.

The FO spokesman said the reason peace could not flourish in Afghanistan is the presence of terrorist elements in that country.

He said officials of Pakistan's diplomatic mission in Afghanistan also sustained injuries in the Kabul explosion.

No group has claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attack, although the Taliban has denied involvement. Afghanistan's intelligence agency blamed the Taliban-allied Haqqani Network for the attack.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa had condemned the attack and extended condolences to the victims.

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