Pakistan Denies Involvement In Attack On Abdullah

Pakistan has rejected Afghan claims it is linked to the assassination attempt on presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah last week.

Abdullah, considered to be the front-runner in the June 14 poll, escaped an assassination attempt on June 6 in an attack that killed 12 people and wounded 40.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai's office said on June 8 that an initial investigation indicates that "an intelligence agency of a foreign country" and the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e Taiba militant group were involved.

In a statement on June 9, Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said: "We firmly reject any insinuation of Pakistan's involvement in the attack."

Aslam added that Islamabad was “deeply disappointed” by Kabul’s “irresponsible allegations.”

Afghanistan usually speaks of an unnamed "foreign" country when it wants to hint at a suspected Pakistani role in an incident.

Based on reporting by AFP and dawn.com