Pakistan rejects US allegations of harboring terrorists

By Aamir Latif</p> <p>KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Pakistan on Thursday dismissed allegations by the U.S. that Islamabad was providing shelter to the terrorist groups on its soil.</p> <p>Earlier this week, U.S Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats in a threat assessment report to the Senate repeated Washington’s longtime claim Islamabad provides “safe havens” to militant groups, which carried out attacks in neighboring Afghanistan and India.</p> <p>Reacting to the allegations, Foreign Ministry spokesman Muhammad Faisal said: “Such controversial statements will be counterproductive and have the potential to adversely affect peace and stability of the region”.</p> <p>The fresh allegations came a week after a crucial round of Pakistan-sponsored talks between the U.S and the Afghan Taliban in Doha, in an attempt to find a negotiated settlement of the bloody Afghan conflict, which has entered its 18th year.</p> <p>The two sides have acknowledged that a significant progress has been made in the talks but denied reaching an agreement on ceasefire — Washington’s key condition.</p> <p>Taliban, however, have made it clear that until the issue of withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan is agreed upon, progress on ceasefire is “impossible”.</p> <p>The Afghan government, for its part, complains of being excluded from the process, and warns that any settlement between Washington and the Taliban will require Kabul’s nod.</p> <p>Pakistan acknowledged in December that it had arranged direct talks between the U.S and the Taliban.