Pak Summons Afghan Envoy Over India Joint Statement

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar (R) and his Afghan counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi shaking hands during a bilateral meeting in New Delhi. (AFP)

According to the joint statement, Afghanistan strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in April and expressed condolences and solidarity with the people and government of India

Islamabad: Pakistan on Saturday summoned the Afghan ambassador to convey its strong reservations over the India-Afghanistan joint statement issued in New Delhi a day earlier. Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who arrived in New Delhi on Thursday, is on a six-day visit to India.

The Foreign Office (FO) said the Additional Foreign Secretary (West Asia & Afghanistan) conveyed Pakistan’s strong objections to the Afghan envoy regarding references made to Jammu and Kashmir in the joint statement.

“It was conveyed that the reference to Jammu and Kashmir as part of India is in clear violation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” the FO said.

According to the joint statement, Afghanistan strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in April and expressed condolences and solidarity with the people and government of India. Both sides also condemned all acts of terrorism emanating from regional countries while stressing the importance of promoting peace, stability, and mutual trust in the region.

Islamabad also rejected Muttaqi’s assertion that terrorism is an internal issue of Pakistan, saying that shifting responsibility for controlling terrorism onto Pakistan cannot absolve the Afghan Interim Government of its obligations to ensure regional peace and stability.

Highlighting Pakistan’s long-standing hospitality, the FO said the country had hosted nearly four million Afghans for over four decades. With peace returning to Afghanistan, Pakistan reiterated that unauthorised Afghan nationals residing in the country should return home.

“Like all other countries, Pakistan has the right to regulate the presence of foreign nationals residing inside its territory,” it added, noting that Islamabad continues to issue medical and study visas to Afghan citizens in the spirit of Islamic brotherhood and good neighbourly relations.

The FO reaffirmed Pakistan’s desire for a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Afghanistan, while stressing that Islamabad also has a duty to ensure the safety of its people and expects the Afghan government to take concrete measures to prevent its territory from being used by terrorist elements against Pakistan.

( Source : PTI )