‘Pakistan embassy in Kabul a nest of spies in Afghanistan,’ say the protesters

BW web monitoring desk KABUL: Scores of protesters gathered outside the Pakistan embassy in Kabul on Friday to demonstrate against Pakistan’s alleged support for insurgents.

The demonstrators also raised slogans against Pakistan Army’s intelligence arm, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Afghan media reported.

A number of Afghanistan Green Trend (AGT) members held a demonstration outside the Pakistani embassy in Kabul in protest over Islamabad’s perceived role in terrorism, according to Tolo News.

The protesters accused the Pakistan embassy of being a “nest of spies in Afghanistan” and said the “ISI supports insurgents and had a hand in recent terrorist attacks in the country”.

“ISI is responsible for the attacks. We know it and we have witnessed it,” Fahim Kohdamani, a member of AGT was quoted as saying.

AGT calls itself a social, pro-democracy, anti-corruption, anti-radicalism, youth empowerment organisation. It is led by Amrullah Saleh, a former Afghan intelligence chief.

A video uploaded by the organisation on Twitter shows a mob burning an effigy during the protest.

The protest came three days after three Afghan cities, including the capital, were targeted by major attacks that left dozens dead and scores more injured. Five officials of the United Arab Emirates also died in the attacks.

Earlier in the day, the Foreign Office (FO) reiterated that Pakistan does not allow its territory to be used for attacks in any other country.

FO Spokesman Nafees Zakaria strongly rejected allegations regarding the existence of terrorist safe havens in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) while responding to media queries, adding that Pakistan has lost thousands of its citizens and suffered economic losses of over $100 billion due to terrorism.

The United States had earlier endorsed Kabul’s claim that the existence of safe havens in Fata allowed terrorists to carry out attacks inside Afghanistan whenever they want.

US State Department Spokesman Mark Toner had said that Pakistan had made “some progress” and had taken “some steps to address these safe havens, but clearly the problem persists”.

Courtesy: THE PASHTUN TIMES