ISLAMABAD, Jan 9: Pakistan on Tuesday took a strong exception to a statement attributed to the Deputy Special Representative of the United Nation’s Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) that criticised its plan to mine the border with Afghanistan and expressed concern about the alleged support in Pakistan for the Taliban movement. In a call to the UN mission the Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said in a stringent statement issued here: “The UNAMA officials would be well advised to restrict themselves to their mandate and refrain from questioning the intentions and sincerity of Pakistan, which has done more than any other country in the international efforts against terrorism.”

Taking serious note of the statement, spokesperson Tasnim Aslam warned: “Unfounded statements such as attributed to the UNAMA officials by the UN News Service will certainly not help cooperation which is needed to address common challenges in the area to counter extremist and terrorist elements.”

She said that the Pakistan’s decision to selectively fence or mine the border was motivated by a need to control the two-way cross border movement by undesirable elements and added: “Those who criticise Pakistan’s decision should offer viable alternatives on controlling such activity.” Pointing out that the action taken by Pakistan had led to the arrest of several leading Taliban figures, she questioned: “One may ask how many Taliban on the list have been apprehended by the Afghan and multinational forces, especially when the statement implies their presence inside Afghanistan.”—Q.A.