The Foreign Office Friday dismissed the allegations levelled by the United States and Afghanistan that the terrorists' "safe havens" inside tribal areas along Pak-Afghan border allowed the recent terror attacks in various Afghan cities, responsibility for which was reportedly claimed by Taliban.  

Responding to media queries, Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria outrightly rejected the claims and reiterated that Pakistan does not allow its territory to be used for attacks against any other country.

Scores were killed and dozens others including five United Arab Emirates (UAE) diplomats got injured in the attack. The UAE Ambassador to Afghanistan Juma Mohammed Abdullah al-Kaabi and Kandahar's Governor Homayun Azizi were also among the wounded when Taliban targeted Kabul and Qandahar Tuesday last.

Afghan officials and US State Department Spokesman Mark Toner alleged that terrorists' "safe havens" in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) allowed the series of bombings, which sparked global condemnations. Pakistan also condemned the terrorist attacks.

"Afghanistan is infested with many terrorist organisations due to the instability there, which has created space for the terrorist elements such as Haqqani Network's leadership, TTA [Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan], TTP [Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan], Daesh, al Qaeda, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, etc.

It is, therefore, not appropriate to blame others for the adversities due to the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan," Zakaria said in response to the allegations, adding the oft-repeated claims regarding safe havens are, therefore, more of a rhetoric than anything else.

"Pakistan's contributions to the international community's fight against terrorism and the sacrifices that we rendered have been acknowledged by the world, including the US at various levels of their leadership, EU and others," he said, adding Pakistan has lost thousands of its citizens and faced economic losses of over US $100 billion due to the menace of terrorism.

He pointed out that the successes of Zarb-e-Azb are manifested in the improved security and economic situation in Pakistan, particularly near Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

-Business Recorder