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Pakistan says not to involve in Afghan Taliban's internal rift

Xinhua, August 7, 2015 Adjust font size:

Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told the parliament on Friday that his country does not want involvement in the controversy of the Afghan Taliban leadership.

Remarks by the Pakistani defense minister came amid reports that some Afghan Taliban leaders and family of Mullah Omar have refused to accept Mullah Akhtar Mansoor as the new chief.

Mansoor was elected the new Taliban leader last week after the Taliban formally confirmed the death of Mullah Omar.

"We do not want to be part of the controversy at this stage if there is rivalry or controversy inside of the Taliban on the leadership," the defense minister told the National Assembly or Lower House of the parliament.

An opposition lawmaker, Syed Naveed Qamar, said the government should deliver a policy statement on the Afghan peace process, Mullah Omar's death and the Taliban internal rift.

The Pakistani minister rejected claims that Mullah Omar had died in Pakistan.

The Afghan Presidential Palace says Mullah Omar had died in 2013 in a hospital in the Pakistani city of Karachi. The Afghan spy agency, NDS, had also made such claim.

"I categorically state that Taliban leader Mullah Omar has neither died nor buried in Pakistan," Asif said, adding Mullah Omar was not in Karachi and Quetta, the southern city of Pakistan.

"Statements of children and the family of Mullah Omar are on the record in this regard. We also do not want to be part of the controversy whether Mullah Omar died recently or earlier," he said.

Talking about the Afghan peace process, the defense minister said Pakistan is making efforts for the success of Afghanistan's reconciliation process and is playing a role of facilitator for negotiations between the Afghan government and Taliban leadership.

Asif rejected the impression that Pakistan controls the Afghan Taliban as some Afghan leaders insist.

"We have no control over them (Taliban). We do not accept this allegation that we control the Taliban. We do have limited relations to the extent that we can try to convince them to talk to Afghanistan," the minister went on to say.

Pakistan had hosted the first ever meeting of the representatives of the Taliban and Afghan government on July 7 and the second round on July 31 was postponed after the confirmation of Mullah Omar's death.

Asif said Pakistan will continue to facilitate the fragile reconciliation process. Endi