Afghan President declines invites to visit Pakistan

Kabul May 4 (IANS) Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has declined invitations by top Pakistani civil and military officials to visit Islamabad a media report said on Thursday.

Quoting the President s Deputy Spokesman Dawa Khan Minapal BBC Urdu reported that Ghani who met Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar and National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq over the past week rejected their invitations saying he would not visit Pakistan until Islamabad hands over the perpetrators of terror attacks in Afghanistan.

I will not go to Pakistan till the perpetrators behind the attacks in Mazar-i-Sharif the American University (in Kabul) and the Kandahar attacks are handed over to Afghan authorities and until Islamabad takes concrete action against Afghan Taliban on Pakistani soil Minapal quoted Ghani as saying.

Afghan authorities claimed that the Afghan President during his meeting with the ISI chief presented documents relating to investigations into recent attacks in Afghanistan and urged Pakistan to hand over the perpetrators BBC Urdu reported.

Kabul has long complained about terrorists using sanctuaries on Pakistani soil for launching strikes in Afghanistan - claims that Pakistan has denied.

In the past week three delegations from Pakistan have visited Kabul to hold talks with the Afghan leadership.

There has been no response from the Foreign Office or military leadership in Pakistan regarding the Afghan President s refusal to visit Pakistan.

--IANS
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