KABUL - President Hamid Karzai called on Pakistan to realise it faces the same foe as Afghanistan, saying Monday that it is essential in the fight against terrorism and urged it to oppose suicide attacks.
In a joint press conference with Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Karzai said that the comments of Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, head of the Pakistan Ulema Council, permitting suicide attacks in Afghanistan as a weapon against the "occupation" of the Nato-led foreign armies showed Pakistan was insincere in its efforts to wipe out terrorism.
NATO secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Monday condemned Pakistani religious scholar chief Allama Tahir Ashrafi’s remarks regarding suicide bombing in Afghanistan.
He said, “I strongly condemn endorsing suicide attacks and there is no justification for such a terrorist attacks.”
In the meantime NATO secretary general said that they have repeated requested Pakistan to boost fight against the terrorism in Pak-Afghan bordering regions.
He said NATO needs positive and creative cooperation from the Pakistani side. Ashrafi was appointed by the Pakistan government to lead a delegation to meet with Afghan clerics to discuss the legitimacy of suicide bombing under Islam and other religious matters.
"Afghanistan wishes to really fight terrorism. Afghanistan is benevolent towards the Pakistan people. We wish that the Pakistan government should join with us in realising that both nations burn in the same flame and Pakistan's role is important to stifle that flame," Karzai said in Kabul.
"We are so sad about the recent speech by the Pakistani side over legitimising suicide attacks. Though we have reached some realisations [of Paksitan's viewpoint], we hope that the situation changes and they return to rationality," he added.
Karzai also commented that anyone who supports or encourages terrorism should face international sanctions – "blacklisted", repeating a statement made by Afghanistan's from the National Security Council deputy on Sunday.
"All Muslims especially the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan are victims of terrorism. Those who support and encourage the terrorists to kill the children of the people should be blacklisted. This is a disrespect to humanity to call the attacks that kill children and women legitimate," he said.
Ashrafi has faced a massive backlash since his Friday comments to TOLOnews which were responding to questions of whether he supports suicide bombing or views it as legitimate.
He has since backed away from the comments saying he was quoted out of context. However, Ashrafi clearly states in the Friday interview that if Muslims do not have the atomic bomb, they can sacrifice their lives for Allah instead as long as there are foreign forces occupying Afghanistan. (Tolo News)