Pak denies US-Afghan claims of it providing safe havens to terrorists

Pakistan has denied the claims of Afghanistan and the United States with respect to the presence of the terror havens in the country.

"In the last three years, we have done a lot, not for the sake of any other country, but for our own people. We have defeated the forces of terrorism. The terrorists are on the run. There is no safe haven in Pakistan. The safe havens have moved into Afghanistan. That is where the focus of action should be," reported Khaama Press, citing Pakistan's Ambassador in United States Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry as saying, in an interview to VOA's Urdu service.

Earlier, Pakistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Khawaja Muhammad Asif claimed that majority of the attacks carried out in his country were coordinated from Afghanistan.

Also, US Defence Secretary James Mattis had earlier urged Pakistan to double its efforts to confront terrorists operating within the country.

He emphasised the vital role that Pakistan could play in working with the United States and others to facilitate a peace process in Afghanistan and bring back stability and security to the region, during his maiden visit to Pakistan since taking charge of the Pentagon.

Pakistan and Afghanistan share strained bilateral relationship. Both Kabul and Islamabad steadily purport that the attacks in the two countries were being plotted and carried out by the safe havens located in the two countries.