 "Stop blaming Islamabad for Afghanistan's internal problems: Pak envoy to UN")
Pakistans Permanent Representative to the UN Maleeha Lodhi has urged the Afghan government to focus on overcoming the deteriorating situation in the war-torn country instead of blaming Islamabad for every incident.
"We are ready to help address the shared threat of violent extremists to the region but Afghanistan should desist from externalising its internal problems," the Ambassador to the UN told Voice of America.
"The surge in violence in Afghanistan seems to indicate the spreading influence of the Islamic State, about which we have long warned," she said, adding that the rapid slide in the security situation is troubling not only for Afghanistan but also all its neighbours.
Referring to the May 31 truck explosion that killed nearly 100 people near the foreign embassies, Lodhi said: "The ability of violent groups to infiltrate Kabul's green zone also suggests insider connections which are even more worrying."
The ambassador went on to say that the timing of the attacks on Kabul suggests those who carried them out want to sabotage any renewed effort towards a negotiated peace. "Terrorism and violent extremism are a common enemy and need a joint resolve to fight it."