NEW DELHI: India has voiced strong support for Afghanistan amidst ongoing peace talks with Pakistan, which aim to de-escalate rising tensions and recent border clashes. New Delhi stated that Islamabad appears angered by Kabul’s assertions of sovereignty over its territories.
Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, emphasized that Pakistan’s pursuit of “cross-border terrorism with impunity” is unacceptable to its neighbors. This statement comes as reports indicate that Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to resume peace talks in Istanbul, following a request from Turkey.
Earlier this month, India had strongly backed Afghanistan during its border clashes with Pakistan, highlighting Pakistan’s history of sponsoring terrorism and its tendency to blame neighbors for its domestic failures.
“Pakistan is infuriated with Afghanistan exercising sovereignty over its own territories. Pakistan seems to think that it has the right to practise cross-border terrorism with impunity. Its neighbours find it unacceptable,” Jaiswal remarked when questioned about Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s claims that Afghanistan was acting under India’s direction.
Jaiswal further affirmed, “India remains fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Afghanistan.”
The border confrontations between Pakistan and Afghanistan occurred while Afghanistan’s Taliban foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, was visiting India. These clashes, which have resulted in fatalities, began after Pakistan launched airstrikes targeting locations within Afghanistan, including the capital, Kabul. One airstrike reportedly targeted a Pakistani Taliban commander, who, however, survived.
Ceasefire agreements brokered by Qatar and Turkey led to a halt in fighting on October 19. Afghan and Pakistani negotiators convened in Istanbul for further discussions, but no breakthrough was achieved. Throughout the ceasefire period, clashes between the Pakistan military and the Pakistani Taliban persisted, with multiple casualties reported on both sides.
On Thursday, Pakistan and Afghanistan consented to restart negotiations in Istanbul, at Turkey’s invitation.
Amidst this diplomatic stalemate, Asif accused Afghanistan of acting on India’s behalf to perpetrate terror within Pakistan. “I believe that the negotiations were sabotaged,” Asif stated. “The people in Kabul pulling the strings and staging the puppet show are being controlled by Delhi.”
Asif also warned that any further attacks from Afghanistan on Pakistan would be met with a response that is “50 times stronger.” He additionally posted on social media that Pakistan “does not require to employ even a fraction of its full arsenal to completely obliterate the Taliban regime and push them back to the caves for hiding.”
In response to a question regarding India’s potential assistance to the Taliban regime’s dam-building projects on Afghanistan’s Kunar River, Jaiswal noted that a joint statement issued during Muttaqi’s visit affirmed India’s readiness to support Afghanistan’s endeavors in sustainable water management, including hydroelectric projects.
He also highlighted the long-standing cooperation between India and Afghanistan on water-related issues, referencing projects like the Salma Dam, also known as the India-Afghanistan Friendship Dam, in Herat province.