Islamabad protests 'baseless allegations' levelled by Kabul

Pakistan on Wednesday summoned the Afghan envoy in Islamabad to lodge a strong protest against the recent spate of allegations levelled by Kabul which it termed as "baseless".

Afghanistan's Ambassador to Pakistan Janan Mosazai was called in by Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry to convey Pakistan's concerns, Dawn online reported.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, chief executive Abdullah Abdullah and the country's premier spy agency have issued statements accusing Pakistan and its military of providing implicit support to Taliban insurgents.

While Pakistan has denied such allegations -- both the army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif have vowed to help Afghanistan combat terrorism -- Afghan officials have constantly criticised Pakistan for failing to take effective measures to curb terrorism on its own soil which, they claim, fuels attacks in Afghanistan.

The foreign secretary stressed that such allegations undercut mutual confidence and affect the environment of bilateral relations that both countries have been working hard to improve, said a release issued on Wednesday.

"Pakistan has been acting with maximum restraint and avoiding any blame-game," he added.