Pakistan summons Afghan envoy after India-Afghanistan statement cites J&K as part of India, calls it a 'clear violation'

Following the India-Afghanistan joint statement issued in New Delhi, Pakistan on Saturday summoned the Afghan ambassador and voiced “strong reservations” regarding references to Jammu and Kashmir by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who arrived in New Delhi on Thursday, for a six-day visit to India.

The Foreign Office stated, “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…" Islamabad also dismissed Muttaqi's claim that terrorism is an internal matter for Pakistan, according to PTI.

The statement stressed that placing the blame for terrorism on Pakistan does not relieve the Afghan Interim Government of its duty to maintain peace and stability in the region.

Underscoring Pakistan’s decades-long support, the FO noted that the country had sheltered nearly four million Afghans for more than 40 years. With the peace restoring in Afghanistan, Pakistan reaffirmed its stance that Afghan nationals living in the country without authorisation should return to their homeland, a report by PTI noted.

It stated, "Like all other countries, Pakistan has the right to regulate the presence of foreign nationals residing inside its territory, mentioning that Islamabad continued to grant medical and study visas to Afghan citizens “in the spirit of Islamic brotherhood and good neighbourly relations”.

The FO expressed Pakistan’s wish to see a peaceful, stable, prosperous, and regionally integrated Afghanistan.

It reiterated that, in pursuit of this goal, Pakistan had provided support in areas such as trade, economic collaboration, and connectivity to enhance socio-economic ties between the two countries.

However, it emphasised that Pakistan also bears the responsibility of protecting its citizens and expects the Afghan government to take firm and tangible steps to ensure its soil is not used by terrorist elements to target Pakistan.

India-Afghanistan joint statement

Afghanistan firmly condemned the terrorist attack that took place in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22 this year, and extended its condolences and solidarity to the people and Government of India. Both nations strongly condemned all forms of terrorism originating from countries in the region, emphasising the need to foster peace, stability, and mutual trust across the area.

“We consider this act of Pakistan wrong. Problems cannot be solved like this... We have kept the door to discussion open. They should solve their problem on their own. Afghanistan has peace and progress after 40 years,” ANI quoted Muttaqi as saying.

(With inputs from agencies)