US, Afghan and Pak in Twitter war over Imran Khan's comment

Despite Pakistan efforts to cool down diplomatic tensions in the region after Prime Minister Imran Khan remarks on Afghanistan's politics, Islamabad found itself entrapped in a twitter spat with Washington and Kabul.

This all started with, US ambassador to Afghanistan John R Bass tweet in which he took a jibe at Imran Khan asking him to not meddle with Afghanistan peace process and its internal affairs.

He wrote: "Some aspects of #cricket apply well in diplomacy, some do not. @ImranKhanPTI, important to resist the temptation to ball-tamper with the #Afghanistan peace process and its internal affairs. #AfgPeace"

To this, Pakistan's ministers retaliated fast, Shireen Mazari, Human Right Minister in Imran Khan's Cabinet, denounced John R Bass remarks.

"Clearly you little pygmy your knowledge of ball tampering is as void as your understanding of Afghanistan and the region! Clearly in your case ignorance is certainly not bliss! Another sign of Trumpian mischief a la Khalilzad style," she tweeted.

However, she later deleted the tweet after several twitteratti accused her of racism.

Replying to Shireen Mazari tweet, Afghanistan interior minister Amrullah Saleh attacked Pakistan for surviving on the bailout of IMF and US help. He also thanked Bass for his remarks.

"A tweet from a Minister of a nuclear state department on IMF loans and recipient of 30 billion dollars aid from the US in the last decade along. Excellence @USAmKabul you have expressed the voice of 35 million Afghanistani who are your proud hosts," tweeted Amrullah Saleh while referring to Shireen Mazari.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Asad Umar also accused Bass of not knowing diplomacy. "Your tweet shows you understand neither cricket nor diplomacy. With the Afghan peace process at such a critical juncture hope the US will be able to find better diplomatic skills to deal with the delicate issues at hand," he wrote on his twitter handle.

Slamming Khan's remarks, Afghanistan's former national security advisor Mohammad Haneef Atmar said: "Recent statement by Pakistani Prime Minister is interference in Afghanistan's internal affairs.

The Afghan government derives its legitimacy from the Afghan people, but not from the leaders of regional countries who strive to meddle in our internal affairs and decide on the future of our government and our politics."