- Title: Pakistan rejects Afghan allegations of involvement in deadly truck bomb
- Date: 1st June 2017
- Summary: ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (JUNE 1, 2017) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF FOREIGN MINISTRY FOREIGN OFFICE SPOKESMAN, NAFEES ZAKARIA, ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALISTS LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) FOREIGN OFFICE SPOKESMAN, NAFEES ZAKARIA, SAYING: "We actually reject the Afghan allegations, baseless allegations. The approach, the accusatory approach is unhelpful towards efforts for peace. Pakistan has suffered from the menace of terrorism and I think we have made unparalleled sacrifices in the war against terrorism. Pakistan has highest stakes in the peace and stability in Afghanistan." JOURNALISTS LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) FOREIGN OFFICE SPOKESMAN, NAFEES ZAKARIA, SAYING: "It is disappointing that some elements who have no interest in peace in Afghanistan and want to damage Afghanistan-Pakistan relations have been maligning Pakistan for their own agenda." ZAKARIA AND ATTENDEES LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 15th June 2017 14:35
- Keywords: truck explosion Haqqani Kabul blast Pakistan Afghanistan
- Location: ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN
- City: ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN
- Country: Pakistan
- Topics: Bombing (non-military),Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA0016JG5N47
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A government spokesman on Thursday (June 1) rejected as "baseless" allegations that Pakistan was behind a deadly truck bomb which killed at least 80 people and wounded hundreds during a rush morning hour attack in the Afghan capital Kabul.
There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack on Wednesday (May 31) that killed 80 people, but Afghanistan's National Directorate for Security blamed the Haqqani network, a Taliban affiliate directly integrated into the militant movement, and said it had been helped by Pakistan's intelligence service. The Taliban have denied involvement.
In a weekly news briefing in Islamabad, foreign office spokesman Nafees Zakaria rejected the allegations and said Pakistan has the "highest stakes" in peace and stability in neighbouring Afghanistan.
Wednesday's blast, at the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, ripped through a traffic-clogged street packed with people on their way to school or work during the morning rush hour, causing hundreds of casualties in an instant and sending a tower of black smoke into the sky. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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