Pakistan said Thursday it was time to put an end to accusations and move forward in a cooperative relationship with Afghanistan, after Afghan authorities blamed Pakistan-based militants for a suicide attack in Kabul that killed at least 55 Shi'ite Muslims.
Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit condemned what he called “the reprehensible crime which was committed” and offered condolences to the families of the victims of Tuesday's bombing.
The spokesman said that “blaming Pakistan for unfounded events” creates problems, and Islamabad wants a relationship that is free of recrimination. Basit added that Islamabad would encourage Kabul to share evidence, if any, through official channels, because “Pakistan and its people are committed to fight against terrorism.”
A spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai was quoted Thursday as saying it is up to Pakistan to find out how the outlawed Sunni extremist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi managed to contact the media in order to claim responsibility for the attack. The group is affiliated with al-Qaida and is responsible for a number of sectarian attacks in Pakistan.
Mr. Karzai's office also insisted that Pakistan needs to start taking action without waiting for evidence from Afghanistan.
Tuesday's blast in Kabul took place near the Abul Fazel shrine as worshippers gathered on Ashura, the holiest day of the Shi'ite Muslim calendar. A second explosion killed four people at a shrine in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif.
The Taliban condemned the killings and denied any involvement.
The claim of responsibility by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi adds to the growing list of irritants between the two neighbors. Kabul also suspects that Islamabad was involved in an assault on the U.S. embassy in Kabul in September and in the killing of chief Afghan peace negotiator Burhanuddin Rabbani weeks later.
Experts say the attacks, which came one day after an international conference on Afghanistan's future, underscore the importance that all countries in the region need to cooperate in securing long-term stability for Afghanistan.
Pakistan boycotted the conference in protest of a NATO cross-border attack that killed 24 Pakistani troops on November 26. It also closed its borders to NATO supply convoys bound for Afghanistan.
The convoys have been a favorite target for militants, and the recent closure stranded hundreds of supply trucks at terminals around the country. On Thursday, police said assailants torched at least 34 tankers in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province, loaded with fuel and supplies for U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan.
