KABUL - US Ambassador to Afghanistan John Bass and Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad have flayed the Pakistan prime minister’s remarks as unconstructive and unhelpful.
In a tweet, the US ambassador said: “Some aspects of cricket apply well in diplomacy, some don’t. Imran Khan, important to resist temptation to ball-tampering with the Afghanistan peace process and its internal affairs.”
In a separate tweet, Khalilzad hailed Pakistan for its constructive contribution to Afghan peace process, but not Imran Khan’s recent comments about an interim set-up in Kabul to conduct elections.
“While Pakistan has made constructive contributions on the AfghanPeaceProcess, PM Khan's comments did not. The future of Afghanistan is for Afghans, and only Afghans, to decide. The role of the international community is to encourage Afghans to come together so they can do so.”
Earlier, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said in a statement that Imran Khan’s comments on Afghanistan had been reported out of context, leading to an unwarranted reaction from various quarters.
It clarified that Pakistan has no other interest in Afghanistan but to promote peace through an ‘Afghan-owned’ and ‘Afghan-led’ political process, a statement from the Foreign Office said. (Pajhwok)