By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Thursday said that India remains fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Afghanistan, in a sharp reaction to the escalating border tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan,
India’s response came after escalating tensions between Kabul and Islamabad after Pakistani forces carried out cross-border operations in Afghanistan.
The fresh round of talks between delegations of both countries, held in Turkey earlier this week, also failed to bring any outcome.
Randhir Jaiswal said, “I reiterate what I had said in my last briefing. Pakistan is infuriated with Afghanistan exercising sovereignty over its own territories. Pakistan seems to think that it has the right to practice cross-border terrorism with impunity. Its neighbours find it unacceptable. India remains fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Afghanistan.”
India has maintained its support for an independent and sovereign Afghanistan and has repeatedly criticised cross-border terrorism in the region, he stated.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif issued a warning to the Afghan Taliban, stated that they can test the resolve of Islamabad at their “own peril and doom”.
He added that Pakistan does not even need to use “a fraction” of its full arsenal to “completely obliterate” the Taliban and push them back to the caves for hiding, Pakistan-based Geo News reported.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister in a statement shared on X stated “We have borne your treachery and mockery for too long, but no more. Any terrorist attack or any suicide bombing inside Pakistan shall give you the bitter taste of such misadventures. Be assured and test our resolve and capabilities, if you wish so, at your own peril and doom.”
“Let me assure them that Pakistan does not require employing even a fraction of its full arsenal to completely obliterate the Taliban regime and push them back to the caves for hiding. If they wish so, the repeat of the scenes of their rout at Tora Bora with their tails between the legs would surely be a spectacle to watch for the people of the region,” he added.
Afghanistan had also issued a warning to Pakistan, vowed a strong response to any future military strikes after talks in Islamabad had collapsed after Islamabad’s withdrawal.
Afghan media outlet Ariana News cited sources reported that Pakistan withdrew from the negotiations after presenting what the Afghan delegation described as “unreasonable and unacceptable” demands, including a call for Kabul to recall and exert control over armed individuals allegedly operating against Pakistan a demand the Afghan side rejected.
It added that if Pakistan launches airstrikes on Afghan soil, Afghan forces stand ready to retaliate against Islamabad.
