Pakistan Raises Concerns Over India-Afghanistan Joint Statement

Pakistan's Diplomatic Response

On Saturday, Pakistan summoned the Afghan ambassador to express its significant concerns regarding a joint statement made by India and Afghanistan the previous day. This development was reported by a news agency.

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi arrived in New Delhi on Thursday for a six-day diplomatic visit, marking the first time a senior Taliban official has visited India since the group took control of Afghanistan in 2021.

The joint statement released on October 10 highlighted that India's External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, appreciated Afghanistan's strong condemnation of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. It emphasized that both nations condemned all forms of terrorism originating from regional countries.

In response, Pakistan's foreign office communicated its strong objections to the Afghan ambassador regarding references to Jammu and Kashmir in the statement.

According to the Pakistani foreign office, it was stated that labeling Jammu and Kashmir as part of India contradicts relevant UN Security Council resolutions. Additionally, Pakistan objected to Muttaqi's claim that terrorism is solely an internal issue for Pakistan.

Pakistan asserted that shifting the burden of combating terrorism onto Islamabad does not relieve the Taliban regime in Afghanistan of its duty to maintain peace.

The foreign office also pointed out that Pakistan has provided refuge to nearly four million Afghans for over four decades. With the situation stabilizing in Afghanistan, it was suggested that undocumented Afghans residing in Pakistan should return to their homeland.

Shortly after the envoy was summoned, clashes erupted between Taliban and Pakistani forces at multiple locations along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

These confrontations occurred just two days after the Taliban accused Pakistan of being responsible for explosions that took place in Kabul, a claim that Islamabad denied.