The statement carried in the Sept. 1 article "Afghan official accuses Pakistan intelligence in aid worker's slaying" is an outrageous slander. The government of Pakistan and its people condemn the murder of aid worker Kazuya Ito as well as deplore all such acts of violence. But this is not the first time that an incident has been misused by some Afghan officials to cover up their own failings.
For instance, in August 2005, when two Japanese teachers, Jun Fukusho and Shinobu Hasegawa, were brutally murdered inside Afghanistan, an Afghan governor falsely implicated Pakistan at the time. Later it was discovered that highway robbers had killed the couple for money during the couple's journey from Kandahar to Kabul.
It is a well-known fact that terrorism, drug-trafficking, gun-running, kidnapping, warlordism and corruption have morally fractured Afghan society. In such a complicated situation, it is essential to avoid the blame game. Otherwise, you actually influence objective police analysis. This is not only counterproductive to a thorough investigation but also tantamount to shielding the criminals.
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