Afghanistan's claims against Pak on terror attacks "baseless accusations": Pak FO

Pakistan Friday rejected Afghanistan's "baseless accusations" against it in the wake of recent terrorist attacks that have claimed scores of lives in the war-torn country. Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said Pakistan condemned all acts of terrorism in Afghanistan and hoped that both sides would continue working constructively for durable peace in the war-ravaged country and in the region.

"Pakistan rejects baseless accusations concerning recent terrorist incidents in Afghanistan," he said in a tweet. Afghanistan and Pakistan routinely accuse each other of failing to combat extremists along their long and porous border.

A series of attacks have rocked Afghanistan recently. At least eight people were killed on Friday when a bomb exploded near a major university in Kabul while students were waiting to take an exam.

The Taliban militants attacked a police headquarters in the southern city of Kandahar on Thursday, killing at least 12 people and wounding scores others. Last week, the ISIS claimed responsibility for a suicide attack at a wedding ceremony in Nangarhar province.

Faisal said that the public blame-game is contrary to the spirit of the understanding between the leadership of the two countries to address issues through close coordination among the relevant agencies. The recent assaults have come amid a series of peace talks between the US and the Taliban to find an end to the 18-year war.

Separately, the Foreign Office said the Fifth Round of China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Practical Cooperation Dialogue (CAPPCD) was held in Islamabad on July 19. During the Fifth Round of the Dialogue, the three sides discussed the implementation status of various projects among Pakistan, Afghanistan and China in the areas of education, health, sports, culture and capacity building.

"They reaffirmed the commitment to further strengthening practical cooperation to achieve the mutually beneficial goals of sustainable peace, development and prosperity," the Foreign office said. It said the three parties reiterated their support to a political settlement of the conflict in Afghanistan through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process.

Both Afghanistan and China appreciated Pakistan's role in facilitating the peace process and its consistent support to various mechanisms aimed at bringing durable peace and stability in Afghanistan. The CAPPCD mechanism was established in 2017 to achieve the three-fold objective of promoting trilateral engagement, enhancing economic cooperation and improving connectivity including through the Belt and Road Initiative.

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