Iran is working with Pakistan's intelligence agency to stoke violence in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Interior's Deputy Minister of Security Abdul Rahman Rahman said Sunday.
Afghanistan's Senate summoned Rahman and Deputy Head of Operations at the National Directorate of Security Mohammad Yasin Zia to answer questions on the assassination of former senator and top peace envoy Arsala Rahmani, who was shot dead by unknown gunmen last week in Kabul.
Rahman said that insurgents, with the full support of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), have launched operation ‘Al-Farooq' which called for the targeting of high-ranking government officials, namely the members of Afghanistan's High Peace Council.
He claimed Iran was also involved following its pressure on the country's lawmakers to not approve the long-term agreement Afghanistan had made with the US.
"Iran is clearly interfering in Afghanistan and it tries to see violence escalate in Afghanistan in close collaboration with the ISI through supporting and equipping the Haqqani network, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan insurgents," Rahman told the Senate.
Zia said that members of the Mullah Dadullah Front insurgent group members were newly-trained in both of the neighboring countries and were involved in propaganda against the Afghan government.
He said Afghan government officials had been sent phone messages threatening them to not approve the Afghan-US strategic agreement signed on May 2.
He also said that insurgents are trying to destabilize the country because of the Nato summit and Afghan-US deal.
"Both of the neighboring countries are trying to cause unrest among Afghan people by launching propaganda against the national interests of Afghanistan," Zia said.
He also accused Pakistan's ISI for being involved in the assassination of Rahmani, saying that ISI had asked Rahmani several times to leave Afghanistan and live in Pakistan.
"ISI had repeatedly requested Arsala Rahmani not to work with this government and leave Afghanistan and live in Pakistan," Zia told the MPs Sunday.
This comes as the NDS said Saturday that three members of the Mullah Dadullah group were arrested in Kabul yesterday in possession of suicide vest and rifles.
The Mullah Dadullah Front claimed the responsibility of Rahmani's assassination, according to Pakistani newspaper Express-Tribune.