The Foreign Office (FO) warned on Sunday that any further act of aggression by Afghanistan would receive an “unwavering and appropriate response”.
This statement comes in the wake of intense border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which began on Saturday night and continued into Sunday morning. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said 23 soldiers were martyred and 200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists were killed as Islamabad responded to unprovoked aggression by Kabul.
Following the incident, a FO statement said: “Pakistan greatly values dialogue and diplomacy and a mutually beneficial relationship with Afghanistan.
“At the same time, the Government of Pakistan continues to closely monitor the situation and will take all possible measures to safeguard its territory and the lives of its people. Any further provocation will be met with an unwavering and appropriate response.”
The FO expressed concern about the “unjustified aggression of the Afghan Taliban, Fitna al Khawarij and Fitna al Hindustan”, which he said would destabilize neighborly relations between the two nations.
Fitna-al-Khawarij is a term used by the State for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), while Fitna-al-Hindustan is a term designated by the State for terrorist organizations in Balochistan.
Referring to the border clashes on Saturday night, the FO stated: “Pakistan, exercising its right of self-defence, not only effectively repulsed the attacks along the border but also inflicted heavy losses on the Taliban forces and their allies. kharjisin terms of men, material and infrastructure.” He added that said infrastructure was used to “plan and facilitate” acts of terrorism.
The FO also strongly rejected acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s “claims and insinuations” to divert attention from the presence of terrorists in Afghanistan.
Muttaqi is currently visiting India, where he said in a recent speech that there was no terrorist organization or group left in Afghanistan and that Pakistan’s problems had to be resolved internally.
“By making these baseless claims, the Taliban regime cannot absolve itself of its responsibilities towards regional peace and stability,” the FO statement said.
“[The] The continued presence of terrorist elements on Afghan soil and the freedom of activities they enjoy in Afghanistan are well documented in the reports of the UN Monitoring Team.”
Noting that the fight against terrorism was a “common cause”, the FO urged Kabul to fulfill its commitment to prohibit the use of its territory for terrorism against other countries and to play its role in achieving peace and stability in the region, instead of passing the blame.
“Pakistan has repeatedly shared its concern over the presence of Fitna al Khawarij and Fitna al Hindustan operating from Afghan soil,” the FO stated. “Pakistan expects concrete and verifiable actions against these terrorist elements by the Taliban regime.”
The FO noted that Pakistan hosts four million Afghan refugees as a gesture of “good neighborliness, Islamic brotherhood and humanity” and added that it would “take all necessary measures to regulate the presence of Afghan nationals on its territory, in accordance with international norms and laws.”
“Pakistan desires a peaceful, stable, friendly, inclusive, regionally connected and prosperous Afghanistan. Pakistan expects the Taliban regime to act responsibly, fulfill its commitments and play a constructive role in achieving the shared goal of eradicating terrorism from its soil,” the statement concludes.
