ISLAMABAD:
The Foreign Office (FO) on Saturday objected to comments made by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi during his visit to India, saying that “diverting” the responsibility of fighting terrorism could not exempt the Afghan authorities from their obligations to ensure regional peace.
Muttaqi’s visit marked India’s first high-level engagement with the Taliban government since it took power in 2021.
At a press conference in New Delhi on Friday, the Afghan Foreign Minister commented on the recent explosion in Kabul, condemning the incident and taking aim at Pakistan. “Whatever the problems of each country, they must solve them themselves,” he said.
Muttaqi further stated that there was no terrorist group left in Afghanistan. “If other countries make peace on their own like we did in Afghanistan, then there will be peace in the entire region. Since the last eight months, there has not been even a small incident in Afghanistan. In four years, no one has been injured on Afghan soil. So this is the best proof we have presented,” he said.
In response, the FO issued a statement saying that Pakistan’s strong reservations on elements of the India-Afghanistan joint statement had been conveyed to the Afghan ambassador in Islamabad by the Additional Foreign Secretary (West Asia and Afghanistan).
“Pakistan also strongly rejected the Afghan Acting Foreign Minister’s claim that terrorism is Pakistan’s internal problem,” the statement said.
He added that Pakistan had repeatedly shared detailed evidence about the presence of elements of Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan operating from Afghan soil against Pakistan with the support of elements inside Afghanistan.
The FO reiterated that “diverting the responsibility of controlling terrorism towards Pakistan cannot relieve the Interim Afghan Government of its obligations to ensure peace and stability in the region and beyond.”
The state uses the term Fitna al-Khawarij for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), while Fitna al-Hindustan refers to Balochistan-based groups allegedly supported by India.
The FO also expressed strong objections to the references made in the India-Afghanistan joint statement.
“It was conveyed that the reference to Jammu and Kashmir as part of India is a clear violation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the legal status of Jammu and Kashmir. The joint statement is highly insensitive to the sacrifices and sentiments of the Indian people of illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir in their just struggle for the right to self-determination,” the FO said.
Highlighting the humanitarian support provided by Pakistan over decades, the FO recalled that the country had “generously accommodated nearly four million Afghans for over four decades in a spirit of good neighborliness and Islamic brotherhood.”
He added that with the gradual return of peace to Afghanistan, it was time for “unauthorized Afghan citizens residing in Pakistan to return to their country.”
“Like all other countries and in accordance with international norms and practices, Pakistan has the right to regulate the presence of foreigners residing within its territory,” he said.
“At the same time, along with the repatriation of Afghan citizens, Pakistan has also been generously issuing medical and study visas to address the medical and educational needs of Afghan citizens. In the spirit of Islamic brotherhood and good neighborly relations, Pakistan will continue to provide humanitarian support to the people of Afghanistan.”
The FO reaffirmed that “Pakistan wishes to see a peaceful, stable, regionally connected and prosperous Afghanistan.”
He noted that Islamabad had extended “all possible trade, economic and connectivity facilitations” to Afghanistan, saying these measures were “aimed at promoting cooperation and socio-economic development of the two countries.”
At the same time, the FO emphasized that the government had the responsibility to “take all possible measures for the safety of its people.”
The statement concluded that Pakistan “expects the interim Afghan government to play its due role in supporting Pakistan in achieving this noble objective by taking concrete steps to prevent its territory from being used by terrorist elements against Pakistan.”
