New Delhi: Afghanistan says it has “paused” its military actions against Pakistan, following a request from Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Sunday, in a bid to reduce tensions between Kabul and Islamabad. Kabul rejected any presence of the Pakistani Taliban within its borders, calling out Islamabad for supporting terrorist groups.
“There are a few elements in Pakistan that are creating tensions. Afghanistan will safeguard its borders and its national interest, and that is why it immediately retaliated to the escalation from Pakistan. We achieved our military objectives last night, and our friends Qatar and Saudi Arabia have expressed that this conflict should come to an end, so we have paused it from our side for the time being,” Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, said at a press conference here.
This is the second press conference of the Acting Afghan Foreign Minister in New Delhi, after the first one held Friday was criticised for excluding women journalists. However, unlike the first conference, Muttaqi was seated in front of the white flag of the Taliban regime. India does not recognise the Taliban regime, and therefore the flag of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan continues to fly above the embassy premises in New Delhi.
He added: “The situation is now under control. We only want good relations and peace… When someone tries to interfere in our internal matters, all civilians, government heads, ulemas and all religious leaders come together to fight in the interest of the country.”
Muttaqi declared that if Pakistan “does not want” peace, it has “other options” as well. Taliban forces launched a response to Pakistani provocation Saturday night, which led to the death of at least 15 Pakistani soldiers, according to Kabul. Tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan have been rising over the past 10 months after Islamabad claimed that Kabul is harbouring elements of the Pakistani Taliban — Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Muttaqi on Sunday rejected the presence of the TTP in Afghanistan. Instead, the Acting Foreign Minister urged Islamabad to rein in militancy and terrorist groups operating within Pakistan.
“There is no presence of TTP in Afghanistan now. Even prior to our return to Kabul, the Pakistan military carried out operations in tribal areas that led to the displacement of a large number of people. The US military and the US-supported former government gave refuge to them on Afghan soil,” said Muttaqi.
He added: “They are Pakistani people from displaced areas and are allowed to live in the country as refugees… The Afghanistan-Pakistan border, the Durand Line, is more than 2,400 km long. It could neither be controlled by ‘Changez’ nor ‘Angrez’… Strength alone cannot control it.”
Muttaqi emphasised that terrorism and militancy within Pakistan are issues for the Pakistani administration to resolve, and that Kabul should not be blamed for Islamabad’s failures.
“This fight is inside Pakistan. Instead of blaming us, they should control the issues in their territory. Why is Pakistan not taking its people into confidence? Many people in Pakistan, and certainly we, do not want the fight to continue. But Pakistan should take control of these groups. Why endanger its own people to please a few?” Muttaqi said.
Muttaqi is in India on a six-day visit from 9 October to 15 October. He met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday—the highest-level meeting between New Delhi and Kabul since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.
Earlier, India has announced that it is upgrading its technical mission in Kabul to the status of an embassy, signalling its intent to deepen ties with the Taliban regime, even though New Delhi does not formally recognise it.
Muttaqi also visited the Darul Uloom Deoband on Saturday, meeting the principal, Arshad Madani, and interacting with students at the seminary.
(Edited by Shashank Kishan)
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