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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has strongly condemned “unwarranted” comments by former Canadian minister Chris Alexander for his assertions of Pakistan’s role in the Afghan peace process.
In a series of tweets, the Foreign Office spokesperson strongly condemned the unwarranted comments and making “unfounded and misleading assertions”. It added that such comments betray a complete lack of understanding of the issue as well as ignorance of facts on the ground.
“Now when the world has acknowledged what Pakistan and Prime Minister Imran Khan have consistently maintained about there being no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan and the need for an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement, such gratuitous commentary is deplorable,” the spokesperson said.
We strongly condemn the unwarranted comments by former Canadian Minister Chris Alexander, making unfounded & misleading assertions about 🇵🇰’s role in #AfghanPeaceProcess. Such remarks betray a complete lack of understanding of the issue as well as ignorance of facts on ground.1/3
— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) August 1, 2021
The Foreign Office added that the Pakistani authorities will share the concerns with their Canadian counterparts.
“The matter has been taken up with the Canadian side. We have urged the Canadian authorities to take steps to address this motivated and malicious smear campaign,” It added.
Alexander had levelled baseless allegations against Pakistan and claimed that the country is supporting the Afghan Taliban and that fighters were penetrating into the country.
The matter has been taken up with the Canadian side. We have urged the Canadian authorities to take steps to address this motivated and malicious smear campaign. 3/3
— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) August 1, 2021
Alexander, a former Canadian diplomat who is now a politician, has also hit out at Prime Minister Imran Khans, describing him as an “utter fraud”.
Alexander tweeted, “This man is an utter fraud: a shameless liar of no ability & a charlatan who has been among the Taliban’s most mindless, kneejerk boosters for decades. A pariah like Putin, he deserves only severe sanctions & one day a docket in The Hague.”
Alexander, who served as Canada’s minister for citizenship and immigration from 2013 to 2015, had been Canada’s ambassador to Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005.
He has been an outspoken critic of Pakistani meddling in Afghanistan. In December 2019, he wrote an article that argued the war in Afghanistan was “doomed from the start”.
In the article, Alexander had opined successive US presidents could have opted for a new approach to deal with Pakistan but did not do so.
Alexander noted “Afghanistan needs one thing: a peace settlement with Pakistan.” He also described Imran as being “one of the Taliban’s most vociferous backers”.
