Kabul, Dec 1 (ANI): An Afghan MP has said that Pakistan is not attending the Bonn Conference by making the recent NATO attack a "much bigger issue than it is" to avoid being criticized for not taking required action "to stop terrorism".
"Pakistan knows that it will be criticized for interfering Afghanistan's affairs and also not taking the needed steps to stop terrorism, so that's why they are trying not to attend the conference and make this border issue much bigger than it is," the Cristian Science Monitor quoted Fariba Ahmadi Kakar, a member of parliament from Kandahar province in the south of Afghanistan, as saying.
"Since they directly interfere in Afghanistan and everyone knows about this that's why they don't want to show up at this conference," he added.
Ten years after the first Bonn Conference, many hoped round two on Dec. 5 would address serious issues about Afghanistan's future, which is strongly tied to Pakistan. With numerous insurgent havens, Pakistan is seen as a potentially critical interlocutor in any talks with the insurgency.
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had earlier tuned down Afghan President Hamid Karzai's request to participate in the Bonn Conference, saying it was not possible unless its security was ensured.
"I replied that the territory of Afghanistan was being used against Pakistan and he said it was done by NATO and I told him to talk to the US about it," Gilani said, adding: "I told him that we have to protect our country and work for its security and defence. If we go to Bonn for you then who will guarantee our security? We cannot just go like this if someone will not ensure our security." (ANI)
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