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Islamabad: Pakistan strongly rejects the baseless allegations of the Afghan Interior Minister of ISI’s involvement in the assassination of Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani Shaheed who was the Chairman of the Afghan High Peace Council.
Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani was a great friend of Pakistan and widely respected in this country. He had lived in Pakistan for a long time and had many friends here.
The so-called evidence given to the Pakistan Embassy in Kabul is actually a confessional statement of an Afghan national Hamidullah Akundzadeh accused of master-minding the assassination. The concerned authority will work upon this piece of information.
The Afghan Interior Minister has not highlighted the fact that the assassin and his handler were roaming around in Kandahar and Kabul for quite some time. Also, the Afghan Interior Minister did not say that the assassin had been four days in the guest house of the High Peace Council managed by Afghans close to Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani. The assassin was also apparently not body searched before the meeting. These facts are also part of the confession handed over to the Embassy by the Afghan intelligence.
The Afghan Interior Minister’s statement is all the more regrettable as Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani had himself offered cooperation in the investigation, during his visit to Kabul for condolences with Professor Rabbani’s family and the Afghan people and Government.
Instead of making such irresponsible statements, those in positions of authority in Kabul, should seriously deliberate as to why all those Afghans who are favourably disposed towards peace and towards Pakistan are systematically being removed from the scene and killed.
There is a need to take stock of the direction taken by Afghan Intelligence and security agencies.
Pakistan has unequivocally condemned the act of terrorism that led to the Shahadat of Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani. Pakistan reiterates its commitment to peace and stability as well as to mutual respect.
For more information, contact:
Syed Haider Ali Jafri
Personal Secretary
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Government of Pakistan
Tel: +9251 921 0335 and 9056604