New Delhi, Oct 30 (UNI) Amid increasing hostility between Pakistan and Afghanistan following their military clashes and failed talks, India has clearly voiced support for Kabul, saying it is fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Afghanistan.
With talks between the Pakistan and Afghanistan failing to resolve their disputes, and days after India upgraded its technical mission in Kabul to that of full embassy status, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a briefing today:
“I reiterate what I had said in my last briefing. Pakistan is infuriated with Afghanistan exercising sovereignty over its own territories.
“Pakistan seems to think that it has the right to practice cross-border terrorism with impunity. Its neighbors find it unacceptable. India remains fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Afghanistan.”
The response comes days after the India visit of the Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi during which he held official talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
India’s relations with the Afghan Taliban regime in Kabul have grown increasingly close, with New Delhi sending humanitarian aid to Afghanistan since 2021 in the form of food grains, medical equipment and medicines, tents, blankets and other important essentials for its people. India is also providing easier visas for Afghan people visiting India for medical treatment and facilitating its students’ studies.
Afghanistan, on its part, has assured New Delhi that its territory will never be used for any terrorist acitivity against India and also urged India to increase its investments in the country including in the mining sector in the resource-rich country.
At the core of the Pakistan-Afghanistan dispute is Islamabad’s demand for Kabul to act against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, a militant group which has stepped up attacks inside Pakistan and which Islamabad alleges is operating from safe havens along the Afghan border.
The Afghan Taliban has denied sheltering the TTP and has accused Pakistan of violating Afghan sovereignty with cross-border airstrikes.
The Durand Line is also a major point of contention, with the Taliban refusing to recognize the border. The Afghan Taliban Defence Minister has called the Durand Line "imaginary". Taliban fighters have also repeatedly clashed with Pakistani forces over fencing on the Durand line and have uprooted the fencing put by Pakistan.
UNI RN