Islamabad:
The Foreign Office (FO) on Saturday exempted comments from Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi during his visit to India, saying that “diverting” the responsibility for counteracting terrorism could not resign from Afghan authorities for their obligations to secure regional peace.
Muttaqi’s visit marked India’s first high-level commitment with the Taliban government since it seized power in 2021.
When he spoke at a press conference in New Delhi on Friday, the Afghan Foreign Minister commented on a recent explosion in Kabul, condemned the incident and aimed at Pakistan. “No matter what problems are in each country, they have to be solved by themselves,” he said.
Muttaqi also claimed that there was no terrorist group left in Afghanistan. “If other countries achieve peace themselves, as we did in Afghanistan, there will be peace in the entire region. Since the last eight months there has not even been a small incident in Afghanistan. In four years no one has been harmed by Afghanistan’s land. So this is the best proof we have presented,” he said.
In response, FO made a statement that Pakistan’s strong reservations about elements of the Indian-Afghanistan’s joint declaration had been transferred to Afghanistan’s ambassador to Islamabad by the extra foreign secretary (West Asia & Afghanistan).
“Pakistan also strongly rejected the Afghan acting Foreign Minister’s claim that terrorism is Pakistan’s internal problem,” the statement states.
It added that Pakistan had repeatedly shared detailed evidence of the presence of Fitna Al-Khawarij and Fitna Al-Hindustan elements operating from Afghan Earth against Pakistan with the support of elements in Afghanistan.
FO reiterated that “by diverting responsibility for controlling terrorism to Pakistan cannot free up the temporary Afghan government from its obligations to ensure peace and stability in the region and beyond”.
The term Fitna al-Khawarij is used by the state of terrorists belonging to the forbidden Tehreek-E-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), while Fitna Al-Hindustan refers to Balochistan-based groups allegedly supported by India.
FO also expressed strong objections to references made in the Indian-Afghanistan joint statement.
“It was conveyed that the reference to Jammu and Kashmir, as part of India, is in clear violation of the relevant UN Security Council’s decisions and the legal status of Jammu and Kashmir. The common statement is very insensitive to the victims and feelings of the people of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir in their bare fighting for self-determination,” said it. “
FO, which highlighted Pakistan’s decades long humanitarian support, reminded FO that the country “generously hosted nearly four million Afghans for over four decades in the spirit of good neighborhood and Islamic Brotherhood”.
It added that with peace gradually returning to Afghanistan, it was time for “unauthorized Afghan citizens residing in Pakistan to return to their country”.
“Like all other countries and in line with international norms and practices, Pakistan has the right to regulate the presence of foreign nationals residing within their territory,” it said.
“At the same time, along with the return of Afghan citizens, Pakistan has also generously issued medical and study visa to meet the medical and educational needs of Afghan citizens. In the spirit of Islamic Brotherhood and good neighboring, Pakistan will continue to expand humanitarian support to the people of Afghanistan.”
FO confirmed that “Pakistan is the desire to see a peaceful, stable, regionally connected and prosperous Afghanistan”.
It noted that Islamabad had expanded “all possible trade, financial and connecting facility” to Afghanistan and said these measures were “aimed at promoting cooperation and socio -economic development of the two countries”.
At the same time, FO emphasized that the government had a responsibility “of taking all possible measures for its human security and security”.
The declaration concluded that Pakistan “expects the preliminary Afghan government to play its proper role in supporting Pakistan to achieve this noble goal by taking concrete measures to prevent its territory from being used by terror elements against Pakistan”.
