Washington, Aug 19 (TIWN) Afghanistan has strongly protested against the statement of Pakistan's Ambassador to the US, Asad Majeed Khan, that the tensions in Kashmir could affect the Afghan peace process, terming it "reckless, unwarranted and irresponsible".

In a statement, the Afghan Ambassador to the US, Roya Rahmani, said that Kashmir was a "bilateral" issue between India and Pakistan, and Islamabad's "motive and insistence to purposely tie the Afghan issue with Kashmir is a deliberate attempt to prolong the violence happening on Afghan soil".   "It is a poor excuse used by Pakistan to justify its inaction against the Taliban and to avoid taking a decisive stance against the militant group."   Rahimi also blasted Pakistan's assertion that the Kashmir tensions could force Islamabad to relocate its troops from the western frontier with Afghanistan to to its eastern border with India as a "misleading statement which inaccurately suggests that Afghanistan poses a threat to Pakistan".