NEW DELHI: India has reiterated its commitment to Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as tensions continue to rise between Kabul and Islamabad over cross-border violence and accusations of proxy warfare.
Speaking at a weekly press briefing on Thursday, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi “remains committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Afghanistan,” and rejected suggestions that India was involved in the current escalation between the two neighbours.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have seen a sharp deterioration in relations in recent weeks following deadly border clashes and a renewed exchange of accusations. Islamabad has repeatedly warned Kabul against allowing the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to operate from Afghan soil, a claim the Taliban government has consistently denied.
The two sides have been engaged in Turkish-mediated talks aimed at creating a mechanism to monitor Taliban efforts to curb cross-border militant activity, but the dialogue has so far failed to yield results.
At the briefing, Jaiswal was asked about Pakistan’s claims that an Indian proxy network, referred to as Fitna al-Khawarij, was involved in recent terror attacks in Pakistan. He was also questioned about remarks by Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who alleged that Afghanistan was fighting a “proxy war” on India’s behalf.
“Pakistan is enraged by Afghanistan exercising sovereignty over its own territory,” Jaiswal replied. “It seems to believe it has the right to engage in cross-border terrorism with impunity. Its neighbours find this behaviour unacceptable.”
Reiterating India’s position, he said: “India remains committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Afghanistan.”
Responding to a question about India’s development projects in Afghanistan, Jaiswal referred to Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s recent visit to New Delhi and the joint statement issued after his meeting with Indian officials.
“That statement clearly highlighted India’s readiness to support Afghanistan’s efforts for the sustainable management of water resources, including hydroelectric projects,” he said.
Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul flared after an October 11 attack on Pakistan’s border areas, which Islamabad blamed on militants operating from Afghanistan. The incident followed Afghan Taliban claims that Pakistani airstrikes had hit Afghan territory — an accusation Pakistan has neither confirmed nor denied.
Subsequent days saw further border skirmishes and retaliatory operations, including strikes by Pakistan targeting camps of the Gul Bahadur group inside Afghanistan.
Efforts to ease tensions led to talks in Doha, where both sides agreed to a temporary ceasefire and to reconvene in Istanbul to develop a more lasting framework for peace and security.
However, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced on Wednesday that the Istanbul talks “failed to produce any workable solution,” while vowing that Pakistan would continue to take “all possible measures” to protect its citizens from terrorism.
