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Pakistan summoned the Afghan ambassador to raise significant reservations about the India-Afghanistan joint statement published in New Delhi on October 10.
The action comes during Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s six-day tour to India, which began on Thursday.
In an official statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) stated that the Additional Foreign Secretary (West Asia & Afghanistan) conveyed Islamabad’s deep concerns to the Afghan envoy, particularly the references to Jammu and Kashmir in the joint statement issued by New Delhi and Kabul.
“It was conveyed that the reference to Jammu and Kashmir as part of India is in clear violation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” the FO stated, reaffirming Pakistan’s long-held stance on the disputed territory.
According to the joint statement, Afghanistan had strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, that occurred in April. The statement also expressed solidarity with the people and government of India. Additionally, both India and Afghanistan “unequivocally condemned all acts of terrorism emanating from regional countries” and underscored the importance of fostering peace, mutual trust, and regional stability.
Pakistan also objected to Foreign Minister Muttaqi’s recent comments during his visit, where he described terrorism as an “internal issue” of Pakistan. The FO rejected this assertion, emphasising that the “shifting of responsibility for controlling terrorism onto Pakistan could not absolve the Afghan Interim Government of its obligations to ensure regional peace and stability.”
Pakistan highlighted its humanitarian contribution, stating that it has harbored nearly four million Afghan refugees for over four decades. The FO stated that with relative calm returning to Afghanistan, it is envisaged that unauthorised Afghan citizens living in Pakistan will return home.
“Like all other countries, Pakistan has the right to regulate the presence of foreign nationals residing inside its territory,” the statement read. It further added that Islamabad continues to issue medical and student visas to Afghan citizens “in the spirit of Islamic brotherhood and good neighbourly relations.”
Reiterating its policy toward Afghanistan, the FO stated that Pakistan wants to see a peaceful, stable, regionally connected, and wealthy Afghanistan, and that it will continue to support efforts to improve trade, economic cooperation, and connectivity between the two countries.
Source: IANS
