Pakistan on Tuesday called for the "blame game" to stop as the United States, Afghanistan and Pakistan met to discuss security in the region amid a Taliban insurgency and heightened tensions over cross border shelling. "We need to end this blame-game," Salman Bashir, Foreign Secretary, told a news conference after a meeting of three countries in Kabul, without making any specific reference to border shelling.
"We need to take ownership for our own affairs, this problem will not go away if we keep on pointing finger at each other, we have done it for too long and I think it is time that our two great nations decide." The talks were formally aimed at mapping out plans for reconciliation with the Taliban, but the shelling had been expected to dominate the agenda.
The meeting, between US envoy Marc Grossman and top diplomats from Afghanistan and Pakistan, followed President Barack Obama's announcement last week of a faster-than-expected troop withdrawal, accompanied by talks with the Taliban. Top military commanders of Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United States met in Kabul on Monday to review the situation on the border, a Pakistan army statement said.