NEW DELHI, Dec 8 : Amid the worsening ties between Islamabad and Kabul, India today condemned Pakistan’s attacks in Afghanistan in which several civilians were killed and said it strongly supports the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Afghanistan.
In the wake of recent Pakistani airstrikes in the Spin Boldak region, which resulted in the death of several civilians, the MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal today said at a briefing:
“We have seen reports of border clashes in which several Afghan civilians have been killed. We condemn such attacks on innocent Afghan people. India strongly supports the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Afghanistan.”
The Afghan Taliban has accused Pakistan of violating their sovereignty and targeting civilian areas, including residential homes, using air strikes and artillery fire.
They maintain that the issue of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group is an internal Pakistani matter
Last week, voicing Kabul’s anger with Islamabad, the Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has tolerated all of Pakistan’s actions in order to prevent the escalation of tensions between the two countries.
Speaking at a meeting, Muttaqi said that Pakistan has repeatedly violated Afghanistan’s airspace, blocked trade routes in contravention of international law, and forcibly expelled Afghan refugees in cold weather-actions that he said violate international, neighbourly, Islamic, and ethical principles.
He accused Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes not only along the Durand Line but also in the capital city, Kabul. He said that in response to the Pakistani attacks, Afghanistan’s security and defense forces have also carried out organized responses against that country. The two nations have held three rounds of ceasefire negotiations so far, including in Doha and in Istanbul.
Pakistan has been carrying out aerial attacks on Afghanistan, ostensibly to strike at Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) positions, ever since the visit to India in October by the Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, and the strengthening of relations between India and Afghanistan.
India, which has elevated its ties with the Afghan Taliban regime by restoring the status of its Kabul mission to that of full embassy, has been sending aid to Afghanistan, in terms of foodgrain and medicines, and also tents, blankets and other humanitarian assistance during the two quakes that struck the country in the past few months.
India has repeatedly expressed its firm backing for Afghanistan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Kabul has in turn assured New Delhi that it will never allow its territory to be used by forces inimical to India.
(UNI)
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