Afghan National Security Adviser (NSA) Hamdullah Mohib levelled serious charges against Pakistan and called it a "brothel house" that has sparked a diplomatic row, evoking a strong reaction from Islamabad.
Pakistan, furious over the Afghan NSA's diatribe, has decided to sever all official links with him. "And this has been conveyed to Afghanistan in unequivocally terms," said a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official while speaking on condition of anonymity, reported The Express Tribune.
On Sunday, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi launched a counterattack against the Afghan NSA.
"Afghan National Security Adviser, listen carefully! No Pakistani will shake hands or engage with you if you don't stop uttering derogatory remarks against Pakistan," Qureshi said at a public meeting in Multan.
"You equate Pakistan with a brothel house. Shame on you," Qureshi added. "My blood has been boiling ever since you uttered these words."
Mohib's recent remarks sparked a diplomatic row between the neighbours, which share a nearly 2,600-kilometer border.
This comes at a crucial time when US forces are withdrawing from Afghanistan. In the absence of a political settlement, Afghanistan can potentially face another cycle of civil war, reported The Express Tribune.
Meanwhile, the Afghan government has longstanding reservations that Pakistan may be using the Afghan Taliban as a proxy. Pakistan has been long blamed for providing support to Taliban terrorists in Afghanistan.
( With inputs from ANI )
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