Afghan lawmakers are of the view that the planned strategic agreement between Afghanistan and Pakistan is meaningless and any work on it should be suspended until Islamabad stops cross-border shelling into Afghanistan’s eastern regions.
Several Afghan lawmakers, including the speaker of the House Abdul Raouf Ibrahimi, on Tuesday slammed discussions of a long-term deal between the two countries.
“Afghan people are the victims of violence and terrorism and Pakistan is the real cause of that,” Ibrahim said. “The Afghan government should closely monitor the contents of the strategic agreement and consider the issue of Pakistan being a supporter and facilitator of insurgents in Afghanistan.” Ghazni MP Ali Akbar Qasimi said he believed signing a deal with Pakistan was premature and should be delayed, according to Tolonews.
“Signing the strategic agreement with Pakistan is untimely because Pakistan is now shelling the eastern provinces,” Qasimi said. “It should be delayed until it changes its strategy and position against Afghanistan.” Kunar MP Saleh Mohammad Saleh called the agreement meaningless given just days ago Pakistani military were warning residents in up to 15 districts of the eastern provinces to leave their homes or be caught up in their incursion. The MPs also claimed that Pakistan had clearly violated the United Nations Security Council 1373 (2001) Resolution which says all nations must prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism, as well as criminalise the willful provision or collection of funds for such acts, and to not allow their territory to be used as the terrorism fundraising efforts.
“Pakistan is violating the 1373 (2001) United Nations Security Council Resolution which prohibits the funding of terrorist networks and obliges nations to take strong action against such networks. The United Nations should prevent Pakistan’s continued shelling on Afghanistan’s eastern provinces and impose sanctions against them,” Kabul MP Baktash Siawash said. The signing of an Afghanistan-Pakistan strategic pact by the end of 2013 was decided upon by the presidents of both countries in their meeting in the US last week.
