Pak riled by Karzai charges

Pakistan today rejected as ‘‘insidious’’ Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s allegations that it was attempting to destabilise the war-ravaged nation...

Pakistan today rejected as ‘‘insidious’’ Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s allegations that it was attempting to destabilise the war-ravaged nation through Taliban and asked him not to lose ‘‘cool’’ as both countries were dealing with a ‘‘difficult’’ situation.

Islamabad was ‘‘saddened” by Karzai’s charges that Pakistan’s intelligence agencies had trained and sent Taliban militants into Afghanistan to destabilise that country, Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said.

‘‘I will not give a strong-worded statement on what he (Karzai) had said. I can only say that we are saddened by what has been reported in the newspapers today,’’ Kasuri said winding up a debate in the Senate on foreign policy. He said a strong Afghanistan is what Pakistan wants, the state-run APP news agency reported.

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“Let’s not trade insults through media. You have a difficult situation there, we have a difficult situation here. Let’s not lose our cool,’’ Kasuri said, adding that Pakistan has never and will not ever try to create instability in Afghanistan. ‘‘Why would we do things that are against our own interests?”

Kasuri said Afghanistan was dear to Pakistan and noted that the bilateral trade had increased tremendously over the last four years. ‘‘Four years ago our trade stood at mere $23 million which this year stands at $1.5 billion.’’

The Pakistan foreign office has said Islamabad planned to reach an agreement with Nato to provide transit facilities for the grouping’s troops deployed in Afghanistan.

Police personnel seen to control the situation during a massive protest over the statehood demand and the inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule, in Leh on Wednesday. (ANI Video Grab)

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