Pakistan denies Kandahar attack was planned on its soil

Pakistan on Wednesday denied that an attack in Afghanistan's Kandahar province, which killed top security officials earlier this month, was planned on its territory.

Islamabad's response came a day after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani blamed the attack on a global terrorist network that he alleged was operating out of Pakistan.

He had urged Pakistan to accept an international investigation into the attack on October 18 on the Governor's residence in Kandahar, Afghanistan's second-largest city, that killed two top provincial security officials and gravely injured the Governor.

"Pakistan rejects the baseless and unfounded allegations regarding the latest Kandahar attacks," the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"No hard evidence or intelligence related information has been shared to date with Pakistan to substantiate such claims," it added.

The ministry also accused the Afghan authorities of resorting to a "media blame game" instead of addressing the issue through diplomatic channels.

Kandahar police chief General Abdul Raziq and intelligence chief Mumin Hussainkhil were killed in the attack, in which a Taliban militant, who worked as a bodyguard of the Governor, had opened fire on a high-level security meeting at the Governor's mansion.

Another six people were wounded while Lt. Gen. Austin "Scott" Miller, commander of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission, had escaped unhurt.

Ghani made the statement after Afghanistan's main intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security, said the attack was planned on the other side of the border.

--IANS

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