NEW DELHI: Taliban have backed India’s sovereignty over J&K, drawing a blistering response from Pakistan amid its already-tense relationship with Afghanistan that has been exacerbated by heavy border clashes in the past few days. Despite outrage in Pakistan, Taliban officials pointed to the fact that India and Taliban had backed each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the joint statement issued after external affairs minister S Jaishankar’s meeting with Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. As the Afghanistan-Pakistan clashes intensified, Muttaqi, at a press meet in the Afghan embassy here, accused “certain elements” in Pakistan of fomenting trouble with Afghanistan. “Afghanistan is finally free and is working for peace…if Pakistan doesn’t want good relations and peace, then Afghanistan has other options as well,” he said.
As a contiguous neighbour, India has a deep interest in Afghanistan’s development: EAM
Pakistan sees Afghanistan as opening a new front in the strained relationship by endorsing a mention of J&K in the joint statement, as located in India. Pakistan has lodged a formal protest with Afghanistan, saying the mention violates UNSC resolutions and legal status of J&K, but New Delhi sees the joint statement as underscoring its position that India and Afghanistan are contiguous neighbours because Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) shares a 106-km-long border with Afghanistan. EAM S Jaishankar, in fact, reiterated in his remarks at the meeting that as a contiguous neighbour and a well-wisher of the Afghan people, India has a deep interest in Afghanistan’s development and progress. Islamabad summoned the Afghanistan ambassador to say that the joint statement was highly insensitive. President Asif Ali Zardari accused the Taliban of turning away from the Kashmiri people and doing injustice to “history as well as Muslim Ummah”. Denying that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has any presence left in Afghanistan, Muttaqi said a vast majority of the people of Pakistan are peace-loving and want good relations with Afghanistan. Dozens have been killed in the clashes that erupted while Muttaqi was on Indian soil, though the minister said the situation, after Taliban’s retaliation, was under control. “Afghanistan will safeguard its borders and its national interest, and that is why it immediately retaliated to the escalation from Pakistan. We achieved our military objectives last night, and our friends, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, have expressed that this conflict should come to an end, so we have paused it from our side for the time being,” said Muttaqi. Meanwhile, Muttaqi assured Kabul will do all it can to ensure safety and security of Indian diplomats and establishments in Afghanistan.
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