INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan&s (IEA) Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Saturday rejecting claims by some heads of
state that there were terrorist groups operating in Afghanistan.The statement came in response to world leaders& claims at the 77th session
of the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.The IEA dismissed the concerns over a terrorism threat in Afghanistan and said there were
no armed groups in the country
The ministry also said the IEA will not allow anyone to use Afghanistan&s soil against any other country.One critic was Pakistan&s Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif who on Friday raised concern about the threat of terrorism in Afghanistan, and called for cooperation with the
Afghan interim government to deal with the threat.Pakistan shares the key concerns of the international community regarding the threat posed
by the major terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan, especially ISIL-K and Tehrik Taliban Pakistan, as well as al Qaeda, ETIM and IMU
They all need to be dealt with effectively and comprehensively with the support and cooperation of the interim Afghan authorities,& Sharif
said.He also said isolating the IEA could aggravate the suffering of the Afghan people who are already destitute.Pakistan is working to
encourage respect for the rights of Afghan girls and women to education and work.Sharif said that &constructive engagement and economic
support& are more likely to secure a &positive response.According to him, a peaceful, prosperous and connected Afghanistan is in &our
collective interest.He also called for release of Afghanistan&s financial reserves frozen by the United States to help its banking system
function.Sharif said: &We must avoid another civil war, a rising terrorism, drug trafficking or new refugees, which none of Afghanistan&s
neighbors are in a position to accommodate.The post IEA dismisses concerns of a terrorism threat in Afghanistan first appeared on Ariana
