Toronto/ Islamabad:
Former Canadian politician and diplomat Chris Alexander has accused Pakistan of getting complicit in “proxy war and war crimes” and engaging in an “act of aggression” against neighbouring Afghanistan.
Alexander, who served as Canada’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration from 2013 to 2015, stated in a tweet on Sunday, “Taliban fighters waiting to cross the border from Pakistan to Afghanistananyone still denying that Pakistan is engaged in an ‘act of aggression” against Afghanistan is complicit in proxy war & war crimes.”
Reacting angrily to Alexander’s tweet, Pakistan’s Foreign Office, in an overnight statement, strongly objected to the remarks made by the senior Canadian politician, describing his comments as “misleading assertions” based on ignorance about the information on the ground.
Pakistan has faced accusations from the Afghan government officials for the alleged backing of the Taliban, but it is uncommon that a foreign figure has pointed to it.
India has also repeatedly asked Pakistan to quit supporting cross-border terrorism and not provide secure havens to terrorist groups.
Alexander’s tweet comes as the US military, following practically 20 years in Afghanistan, is in the final stages of withdrawing troops from the war-torn nation, bringing an finish to America’s longest war.
The Pentagon has stated about 95 per cent of US troops have left Afghanistan and the Taliban has swiftly expanded their presence to massive swaths of the nation.
In its statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Office stated, “We strongly condemn the unwarranted comments by former Canadian minister Chris Alexander, making unfounded & misleading assertions aboutPakistan’s role in #AfghanPeaceProcess. Such remarks betray a complete lack of understanding of the issue as well as ignorance of facts on the ground,” it stated.
The Foreign Office stated Pakistan has taken up the matter with the government of Canada.
“The matter has been taken up with the Canadian side. We have urged the Canadian authorities to take steps to address this motivated and malicious smear campaign,” it stated.
The Foreign Office also stated that the international neighborhood had begun to appreciate what Prime Minister Imran Khan had been saying for a extended time.
The statement pointed out that Prime Minister Khan has maintained that there is no military remedy to the conflict in Afghanistan and there is a require for an inclusive, broad-based and complete political settlement.
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