Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif's UN speech leaves Afghanistan furious

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session has further escalated tensions between Pakistan and the Afghan interim government.

During his speech, Pakistan PM exhorted the international community to remain engaged with the Afghan Taliban and also highlighted global worries over the presence of banned terrorist groups on Afghan soil, according to a report by the The Express Tribune. Meanwhile,the Afghan interim government has vehemently denied the presence of any armed groups on Afghan soil.

To draw the attention of the global community, Shehbaz pointed out the threat posed by the major terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan, especially ISIL-K and TTP as well as Al-Qaeda, ETIM and IMU. "They all need to be dealt with comprehensively, with the support and cooperation of the interim Afghan authorities," he asserted.


Sharif's words were outrightly rejected by the Afghan interim government, The Express Tribune reported.

A formal reaction issued by the Afghan foreign ministry stated that some countries, including the US and Pakistan, expressed concerns at the 77th session of the UNGA that the threat of terrorism still exists in Afghanistan.

"These concerns are based on incorrect information and sources and are being brought up as the relevant parties are yet to hand over the seat of Afghanistan at the United Nations to its rightful legal and political owners, the Afghan government," the Afghan foreign ministry spokesperson claimed.

"If this right is indeed afforded to the Afghan government, it will open an opportunity to directly share ground realities of Afghanistan with regional and world countries and address any concerns," the statement added.

The spokesperson said that the Islamic Emirate once again rejected such assertions and reiterated its position to the world. He added that the territory of Afghanistan will not be used against any other country nor does any armed group currently have a presence in Afghanistan.