PM's comments on interim setup in Afghanistan 'misinterpreted', Foreign Office says

[MenInG]

Afghanistan has recalled its ambassador to Pakistan over reported remarks by Prime Minister Imran Khan that suggested that Kabul should set up an interim government, calling the comments "irresponsible".

The premier had told journalists on Monday that forming an interim Afghan government would smooth peace talks between the United States and Taliban officials since the militant group refuses to speak to the current government, according to comments published in The Express Tribune.

The Afghan government was a hurdle in (the) peace process that was insisting that Taliban should talk to it, Prime Minister Khan was quoted as saying.

He also said he had cancelled a scheduled meeting with Taliban leaders because of objections by the Afghan government.

Read: Taliban meeting nixed over Kabul’s concerns: PM Khan

Afghanistan summoned Pakistan's deputy ambassador to discuss the "irresponsible" remarks by Prime Minister Khan, said Afghan foreign affairs ministry spokesman Sibghatullah Ahmadi in a series of tweets on Tuesday. A statement issued by the Afghan embassy confirmed the development.

The Afghan government deemed Khan's statements as "an obvious example of Pakistan's interventional policy and disrespect to the national sovereignty and determination of the people of Afghanistan," Ahmadi said.

DawnNewsTV has reached out to the Foreign Office in Islamabad for a comment on the matter.

In a tweet, US Special Envoy for Afghan Peace and Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad also appeared to criticise the prime minister's reported comments.

He said "while Pakistan has made constructive contributions on the Afghan Peace Process, PM Khan's comments did not".

"The future of Afghanistan is for Afghans, and only Afghans, to decide."

The row marks the third time in just over a month that Kabul has demanded an explanation from Pakistan over comments related to peace talks, illustrating the flaring tensions between the two neighbours at a sensitive time.

US and Taliban officials have held recurring talks to end the 17-year war, but the Taliban consider the Afghan government led by President Ashraf Ghani as illegitimate.

Ghani's mandate expires in May, and pressure is mounting on him to step down before the next presidential election, scheduled for September 28. Ghani has rejected the idea of an interim government.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1472028/a...ador-to-pakistan-in-row-over-pm-khans-remarks

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">1/3 Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, summoned the Deputy Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan with respect to the recent irresponsible remarks of Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan. <a href="https://t.co/HnVaB5zVD2">pic.twitter.com/HnVaB5zVD2</a></p>— Sibghatullah Ahmadi (@Sibghat_Ah) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sibghat_Ah/status/1110568161802362881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">2/3 Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its grave objection on Pakistani PM's recent reckless statements about the peace process and establishment of an interim government, deemed such statements an obvious example of Pakistan's interventional policy</p>— Sibghatullah Ahmadi (@Sibghat_Ah) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sibghat_Ah/status/1110568286465523713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">3/3 and disrespect to the national sovereignty and determination of the people of Afghanistan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also recalled Afghanistan’s Ambassador from Islamabad for further discussions on the matter.</p>— Sibghatullah Ahmadi (@Sibghat_Ah) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sibghat_Ah/status/1110568538027237376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">While <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pakistan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pakistan</a> has made constructive contributions on the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AfghanPeaceProcess?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AfghanPeaceProcess</a>, PM Khan's comments did not. The future of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Afghanistan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Afghanistan</a> is for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Afghans?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Afghans</a>, and only Afghans, to decide. The role of the international community is to encourage Afghans to come together so they can do so.</p>— U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad (@US4AfghanPeace) <a href="https://twitter.com/US4AfghanPeace/status/1110608407155929088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2019</a></blockquote>
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[MenInG]

PM's comments on interim setup in Afghanistan 'misinterpreted', Foreign Office says

Moving to control the diplomatic fallout from a news report stating that Prime Minister Imran Khan had "suggested" the setting up of an interim setup in Afghanistan, the Foreign Office (FO) today stated that the comment in question had been reported out of context, "leading to unwarranted reaction from various quarters."

The premier had allegedly told journalists on Monday that forming an interim Afghan government would smooth peace talks between the United States and Taliban officials since the militant group refuses to speak to the current government, according to comments published in The Express Tribune.

Afghanistan had subsequently recalled its own ambassador in Islamabad, and summoned Pakistan's deputy ambassador in Kabul to discuss what it described as "irresponsible" remarks by Prime Minister Khan.

The Afghan government deemed Khan's statements as "an obvious example of Pakistan's interventional policy and disrespect to the national sovereignty and determination of the people of Afghanistan," an Afghan foreign affairs ministry spokesperson had said.

In a tweet, US Special Envoy for Afghan Peace and Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad — who has been leading peace talks with the Taliban — had also appeared to criticise the prime minister's reported comments.

He said "while Pakistan has made constructive contributions on the Afghan Peace Process, PM Khan's comments did not".

"The future of Afghanistan is for Afghans, and only Afghans, to decide," he said.

Dismissing the outrage over the news report, the FO stated that the prime minister had only been referring to "Pakistan’s model, where elections are held under an interim government. The comments should not be misinterpreted to imply interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs."

"Pakistan has no other interest in Afghanistan but to promote peace through an ‘Afghan owned’ and ‘Afghan led’ political process. [The prime minister] of Pakistan has taken personal interest in facilitating the ongoing political reconciliation process and the same must not be misconstrued to undermine the sincere efforts of Pakistan or to create misunderstandings at this crucial stage of the process," the FO stated.

"[The] Prime Minister of Pakistan understands the plight of [the] brave people of Afghanistan, who have a right to live in peace after four decades of violence and war," the statement concluded.

The row marks the third time in just over a month that Kabul has demanded an explanation from Pakistan over comments related to peace talks, illustrating the flaring tensions between the two neighbours at a sensitive time.

US and Taliban officials have held recurring talks to end the 17-year war, but the Taliban consider the Afghan government led by President Ashraf Ghani as illegitimate.

Ghani's mandate expires in May, and pressure is mounting on him to step down before the next presidential election, scheduled for September 28. Ghani has rejected the idea of an interim government.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1472202/p...fghanistan-misinterpreted-foreign-office-says

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Some aspects of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cricket</a> apply well in diplomacy, some do not. <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ImranKhanPTI</a>, important to resist temptation to ball-tamper with the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Afghanistan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Afghanistan</a> peace process and its internal affairs. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AfgPeace?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AfgPeace</a></p>— John R. Bass (@USAmbKabul) <a href="https://twitter.com/USAmbKabul/status/1110821994629656577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Clearly you little pygmy your knowledge of ball tampering is as void as your understanding of Afghanistan and the region! Clearly in your case ignorance is certainly not bliss! Another sign of Trumpian mischief a la Khalilzad style! <a href="https://t.co/ZOySvWJNDq">https://t.co/ZOySvWJNDq</a></p>— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShireenMazari1/status/1110934186418946049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2019</a></blockquote>
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[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Your tweet shows you understand neither cricket nor diplomacy. With the afghan peace process at such a critical juncture hope the US will be able to find better diplomatic skills to deal with the delicate issues at hand. <a href="https://t.co/9iYWfOF92U">https://t.co/9iYWfOF92U</a></p>— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) <a href="https://twitter.com/Asad_Umar/status/1110973650340065285?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2019</a></blockquote>
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[PakLFC]

So the great Afghan ambassador has returned home. I don't think anyone will miss him in Pak.

 

[Minnowbasher]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Some aspects of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cricket</a> apply well in diplomacy, some do not. <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ImranKhanPTI</a>, important to resist temptation to ball-tamper with the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Afghanistan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Afghanistan</a> peace process and its internal affairs. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AfgPeace?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AfgPeace</a></p>— John R. Bass (@USAmbKabul) <a href="https://twitter.com/USAmbKabul/status/1110821994629656577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Clearly you little pygmy your knowledge of ball tampering is as void as your understanding of Afghanistan and the region! Clearly in your case ignorance is certainly not bliss! Another sign of Trumpian mischief a la Khalilzad style! <a href="https://t.co/ZOySvWJNDq">https://t.co/ZOySvWJNDq</a></p>— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShireenMazari1/status/1110934186418946049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Unnecessary from Shirin Mazari.

 

[moghul]

So the great Afghan ambassador has returned home. I don't think anyone will miss him in Pak.

He has been sent to India for annual refreshing course.

 

[PakLFC]

He has been sent to India for annual refreshing course.

Pity he did not take all those Afghanis in Pak with him wherever he went. Most are just beggars in Pak.

 

[giri26]

Why a top Pakistani official called a senior US diplomat a “little pygmy” on Twitter

A top Pakistani official just called the US ambassador to Afghanistan a “little pygmy” on Twitter.

Her angry words, in this case, are more than just an insult: They have the potential to upend the Trump administration’s delicate, years-long efforts to reach a peace deal in Afghanistan that would it allow it to withdraw troops after nearly 20 years of war.

Here’s what happened: John Bass, America’s top diplomat in Afghanistan, tweeted early Wednesday morning directly at Pakistan’s new prime minister and former cricket star, Imran Khan, over a controversial statement he made about Afghanistan’s government.

“Some aspects of #cricket apply well in diplomacy, some do not,” he wrote, adding that it’s “important to resist temptation to ball-tamper with the #Afghanistan peace process and its internal affairs.”

Khan has yet to respond to Bass’s tweet, but Shireen Mazari, Pakistan’s human rights minister, had some choice words for the US envoy.

If you’re thinking “surely she will retract that” — no such luck. In response to criticism on Twitter, she sent out another zinger: “But seriously what diplomatic norms? US dips have been violating them all day today from Zalmay to this *****!”

So what the heck is going on here?

Why Pakistan’s human rights minister is angry at the US
The State Department declined to comment, but it seems that Bass’s tweet was in direct response to a comment Khan made on March 25 saying Afghanistan should have an interim government to help with peace talks, although it’s unclear how that would help the situation.

That greatly angered Afghanistan’s US-allied administration, and led Kabul to pull its ambassador from Pakistan.

Bass’s tweet seemingly came in response to this last move. He was surely trying to both support Afghanistan and reprimand Khan for his comments. But some, clearly, were not happy with the way he went about doing it.

“Some Pakistanis are now angry at the Bass tweet and believe it was an inappropriate way to address Pakistan’s prime minister,” Alyssa Ayres, a Pakistan expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, told me. “That’s how you end up with the ‘pygmy’ tweet.”

To be fair, no government official would take kindly to their boss being openly rebuked by a foreigner. In that sense, then, Mazari’s comments are somewhat understandable. She also has a track record of harshly rebutting any external criticism of Pakistan, including from some human rights groups.

But the online spat may have imperiled US-Pakistani relations in the short term and Afghanistan peace talks in the long term.

Pakistan has long played a major role in the Afghanistan war, mainly by providing support to the Taliban, an Islamic insurgent group that has fought the Afghan government for nearly two decades. That makes Pakistan an important player in the Trump administration’s months-long negotiations with the Taliban to end the war and possibly bring all 14,000 US troops home.

The prospects of improved US-Pakistan ties, though, don’t look good because of President Donald Trump’s hardline approach to Pakistan.

“The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit,” Trump tweeted on January 1, his first tweet of that year. “They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!” He later suspended up to $1.3 billion in military aid to Pakistan.

Khan was already skeptical of the United States before coming to power last summer. Trump’s earlier moves — and Bass’s undiplomatic tweet — certainly won’t help his perception.

It’s no surprise, then, that Mazari (like others in Khan’s government) harbors animosity toward the US. But calling a US ambassador a “little pygmy,” in the middle of a sensitive diplomatic negotiation, could lead to further complications.

https://www.vox.com/world/2019/3/27/18284293/pakistan-bass-imran-khan-mazari-afghanistan-diplomat

 

[cric_man]

The pygmy reference was uncalled for. Ms Mazari has a background in Int'l & Strategic Studies and should have responded accordingly.

 

[MenInG]

The row began when Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan suggested an interim government in Afghanistan could help facilitate peace talks between US officials and the Taliban. The former cricketer’s intervention caused outrage in Kabul, whose government subsequently recalled its ambassador to Islamabad slamming Mr Khan’s comments as “irresponsible” and demanding an explanation. Pakistan’s foreign office moved to downplay Mr Khan’s comments but the damage had already been done and Donald Trump’s ambassador to Afghanistan, John Bass, hit back.

Mr Bass took to Twitter in a swipe at Mr Khan by alluding to his past as captain of Pakistan’s World Cup-winning cricket team and several cheating scandals involving Pakistani players which has rocked the hugely cricket-mad country.

Mr Bass tweeted: “Some aspects of cricket apply well in diplomacy, some do not. [MENTION=5335]imrankhan[/MENTION]PTI, important to resist temptation to ball-tamper with the Afghanistan peace process and its internal affairs.”

Dozens of Pakistani’s descended on Mr Bass’s timeline over the snub to their leader, outraged that a foreign envoy would make such an undiplomatic comment on social media about another country’s premier.

Angered Shireen Mazari tweeted back: “Clearly you little pygmy your knowledge of ball tampering is as void as your understanding of Afghanistan and the region!

“Clearly in your case ignorance is certainly not bliss!

“Another sign of Trumpian mischief a la Khalilzad style!” she wrote in reference to Zalmay Khalilzad, the US envoy leading the peace negotiations.

“You could do with a few lessons in diplomacy - or do you feel you can insult Pakistan and its leader and we will keep silent?

In the tweets, Shireen Mazari bizarrely labels US ambassador John Bass a 'pygmy' (Image: Twitter: [MENTION=148945]shiree[/MENTION]nMazari1)
“Get real! You are nowhere with the peace process without support from Prime Minister Imran Khan and our government. So get a reality check.”

When one Twitter user pointed out that it was “quite funny that Shireen Mazarin’s tweet is a blatant violation” of diplomatic norms, she responded: “Haha! Haters gonna hate!

“But seriously, what diplomatic norms? US diplomats have been violating them all day today from Zalmay to this *****!”

Shehzad Arbab, an adviser to Mr Khan, rebuked Mr Bass’s comments, tweeting: “I am outraged and appalled by the disrespectful remarks made directly by @USAmbKabul to our current leader [MENTION=5335]imrankhan[/MENTION]PTI.

“Besides being careless and undiplomatic, his words do great damage to the ties we, in Pakistan, are trying to build with our Afghan neighbors.”

US ambassador to Kabul John Bass suggested Mr Khan stop 'ball tampering with Afghan peace process'

US ambassador to Kabul John Bass suggested Mr Khan stop 'ball tampering with Afghan peace process' (Image: GETTY)
Kabul has since confirmed its ambassador will return to Pakistan but the row came at the same time Mr Khan accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of stirring up “war hysteria” ahead of upcoming elections.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Khan denied any Pakistani culpability in a terrorist incident which sparked last month’s crisis in Kashmir.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars over the disputed region and narrowly avoided another full-scale conflict after a suicide bombing in the city of Pulwama which killed 40 Indian paramilitary police on February 14.

Mr Khan admitted he still fears “something could happen” after another war was averted when India launched retaliatory air strikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammad training camp, the terrorist organisation Pakistan has denied any links to.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/worl...tan-peace-imran-khan-shireen-mazari-john-bass

 

[Pete Rose]

Here’s the thing: the US has gone out of its way to ignore the Afghan National Security advisor because he was (rightly?) whining about the Afghan government being kept out of the reconciliation process that is happening between Taliban and the US. The much delayed elections in Afghanistan will be in July 2019. If the peace talks are progressing during this time someone will have to implement the outcomes. So all this silliness is just to sabotage the peace talks.

 

[MenInG]

KABUL: The Afghan government summoned a Pakistan diplomat to explain Prime Minister Imran Khan's latest remarks on ongoing Afghan peace talks, as tensions flared between the neighbouring countries once again.

Afghanistan's ministry of foreign affairs summoned the diplomat to object about remarks that it deemed "explicit interference" in Afghan affairs, the ministry's spokesman, Sibghatullah Ahmadi, said on Twitter.

It marks the fourth time in about a month and a half that Kabul has demanded an explanation from Islamabad for comments related to peace talks aimed at ending 17 years of war in Afghanistan.

In late March, Afghanistan recalled its ambassador from Islamabad for Khan's suggestion that forming an interim Afghan government might smooth peace talks between US and Taliban officials. The ambassador returned shortly after Pakistan clarified Khan's remarks as being reported out of context.

But on Friday (Apr 5), Khan addressed the matter again at a rally in Pakistan in which he explained his original comments as "brotherly advice," according to accounts published in Afghan media.

"Afghanistan considers recent statements of Imran Khan explicit interference in internal affairs of Afghanistan and deems PM's remarks a return to his previous stance," Ahmadi tweeted.

US and Taliban officials have held several rounds of talks but the Taliban has refused to talk directly to the Afghan government, which they consider an illegitimate regime.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's mandate officially expires in May. The date for the next presidential election has been postponed twice and is now set for Sep 28.

Ghani has been shut out from the peace talks and is under pressure from rivals to step aside and allow a caretaker government to take over, a suggestion he has rejected.


Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...an-diplomat-again-over-pm-s-comments-11419350

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Just wrapped up two days in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Islamabad?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Islamabad</a>. Thanked <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pakistan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pakistan</a> for recent efforts supporting the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AfghanPeaceProcess?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AfghanPeaceProcess</a> and for re-affirming the understanding that ultimately Afghans, and Afghans alone, will determine their future. Always more work to be done. Back to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kabul?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Kabul</a>! <a href="https://t.co/Ar5LCSRfmc">pic.twitter.com/Ar5LCSRfmc</a></p>— U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad (@US4AfghanPeace) <a href="https://twitter.com/US4AfghanPeace/status/1114516050530447361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2019</a></blockquote>
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