The signing of an agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan envisaging intelligence sharing between the two neighbours has sparked a controversy with Hezb-e-Islami Council of Afghanistan voicing deep concern at the development.
The Hezb-e-Islami Council of Afghanistan was the latest to express concern over the conclusion of the agreement between the intelligence agencies of the two countries, reports Khaama press.
According to a Hezb-e-Islami statement, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has been directly involved and has played a key role in "destructive activities" in Afghanistan over the past four decades.
The Hezb-e-Islami statement called on the Afghan government not to conclude such agreements in the future, which are against the national interests.
Earlier, former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai too called on the Afghan National Unity government leaders to immediately scrap the Memorandum of Understanding on intelligence sharing, and said such agreements "which are against the national interests of the country" should not be signed.
Among those who have opposed the agreement is Rahmatullah Nabil, chief of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) -- the Afghan intelligence agency, reports here suggested.
Sources privy to the development said on Sunday the agreement with the ISI was signed three days ago not by Nabil but by NDS deputy chief Ghulam Hussain Fakhri.
According to the MoU, the ISI will train and equip the NDS personnel in their functioning. In addition, Afghanistan and Pakistan will jointly fight terrorism and both institutions will jointly interrogate those accused of any terror incident within their countries.
While the MoU envisages training of Afghan intelligence operatives by Pakistan's ISI, the Afghan NDS officials have rejected the clause.
NDS spokesman Haseeb Sediqi said the agreement with Pakistan was not against the national interests of Afghanistan and it was concluded based on previous mutual cooperation between the two nations.
However, officials from the previous government maintain that no such MoU was signed in the past.
Earlier, Afghan Senate Chairman Fazal Hadi Muslimyar on Tuesday denounced the MoU and said there was no justification for signing any agreement with an intelligence service that has worked to undermine peace and stability in Afghanistan for so long.
"Pakistan is an enemy to Afghanistan and will never develop friendship with us," Muslimyar said.
"Pakistan has always plotted to destroy Afghanistan and will continue to do so... how can we afford to send our security forces for training in that country," he wondered.
