Islamabad:
The Foreign Office on Friday repeated its call to Afghanistan to ensure that its land is not used for terrorist activities against Pakistan when Islamabad gently responded to the Afghan temporary Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to India.
The Foreign Office’s spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan said, during his weekly news briefing, Pakistan Afghanistan’s sovereign right to pursue connections with any country. However, he emphasized that Pakistan’s consistent attitude has been that Afghan territory should not be allowed to be used against Pakistan.
“Afghanistan is a sovereign, independent country, and we have no special comment on offering its bilateral relations with any other country,” he said.
“Our request to Afghanistan while respecting their sovereign right to pursue the foreign policy they want for their country has been that Afghan territory should not be allowed to be used against Pakistan,” he emphasized.
The statement came in the midst of the growing concern in Islamabad over Taliban’s in -depth commitment with New Delhi.
This week, the Afghan temporary Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi began on a weekly visit to India, the first such trip of a top Taliban official since the group took power in August 2021.
India, who had closed his embassy in Kabul after Taliban’s acquisition, has now decided to restore full diplomatic status to his mission, one step as a major shift in New Delhi’s policy. According to Indian Media Reports, the visit also discussed technical collaboration in areas, including water resource management, a question seen with suspicion in Pakistan, considering India’s ongoing water sharing disputes during the suspended Indus Waters Treaty.
Diplomatic observers believe that the time of the Afghan Foreign Minister’s visit is significant, and will come at a time when Kabul’s bond with Islamabad is at a low point above the issue of cross-border terrorism and Pakistan’s recent targeted operations against the forbidden Tehreek-E-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
During the briefing, spokesman for the Foreign Office also dealt with reports of Pakistan’s recent terrorist operations along the Afghan border.
“Pakistan confirms his unwavering obligation to its human security and well -being,” Shafqat said.
“Our security forces and law enforcement authorities carry out targeted operations in border areas to protect our citizens from terrorist threats, especially those provided by groups such as Fitna Al Khwarij or TTP.”
He said these operations are “carefully planned based on credible and actionable intelligence and performed with precision.”
While Pakistan respects Afghanistan’s sovereignty, Shafqat said Islamabad remained steadfast in his commitment to promoting dialogue and collaboration to tackle the common challenge of terrorism.
“Pakistan has consistently prioritized diplomacy, even in the light of persistent threats derived from terrorist hide and shrines inside Afghanistan,” he said.
