Former Afghan intelligence chief Rahmatullah Nabil has alleged that former President Ashraf Ghani and former National Security Adviser Hanif Atmar maintained a confidential communication line in the presidential palace for direct contact with Pakistan’s

Nabil claimed that during Ghani`s presidency, a secure telephone line at the Presidential Palace in Kabul was used for direct communication with the head of Pakistan`s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the country`s army chief.

According to Nabil, the confidential channel was reserved for sensitive discussions with senior Pakistani security officials and was accessible to the president and the National Security Council.

The former intelligence chief also alleged that some senior Afghan officials placed greater trust in intelligence provided by the ISI than in assessments presented by Afghanistan`s own security agencies.

The allegations come against the backdrop of long-standing tensions between Kabul and Islamabad during the former Afghan republic, when successive Afghan governments repeatedly accused Pakistan of supporting armed groups operating in Afghanistan-claims consistently denied by Islamabad.

Nabil`s remarks raise new questions about the extent of high-level security contacts between Afghanistan and Pakistan during the republican era and the management of intelligence at the highest levels of government. Ashraf Ghani and Hanif Atmar have not publicly responded to the allegations.