Amid ongoing clashes at Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Islamabad vowed a “befitting reply” on Sunday, referencing India in its statement.
Mohsin Naqvi, the Pakistan interior minister, referenced India in his remark against Afghanistan. (AP/File)
A statement released by Pakistan’s interior ministry accused Afghanistan of “playing a game of fire and blood”, while making a reference to an “eternal enemy”. Moreover, the statement also quoted Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi as saying: “Afghanistan will also be given a befitting reply like India, so that it will not dare to look at Pakistan with a malicious eye.”
“Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemns the incidents of unprovoked firing by Afghanistan on Pakistani territories. The firing by Afghan forces on civilian populations is a blatant violation of international laws,” another tweet by the ministry read.
The statement was made in a tweet during the early hours of Sunday, around the same time as fierce clashes erupted along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
While it was not specified what the “befitting reply” remark meant in India’s context, Pakistan has earlier falsely claimed that it emerged victorious in the military conflict with India back in May. Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif also presented a twisted account of the conflict during his UN address last month, claiming Pakistani forces downed seven Indian jets.
However, his remarks received a strong response from India at the UN. “If destroyed runways and burnt-out hangars look like victory, as the prime minister claimed, Pakistan is welcome to enjoy it,” India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, Petal Gahlot had said.
Follow live updates on Pakistan-Afghanistan border clash here.
Overnight clashes erupted along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, and the Taliban government claimed that it was “in retaliation”, accusing Islamabad of violating its sovereignty after explosions were heard in Kabul on Friday. Taliban claimed to have killed 58 Pakistani soldiers so far in overnight border operations.
The ties between Afghanistan and Pakistan are nosediving at a time when Taliban minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is on an India visit. Earlier, Pakistan’s foreign ministry also raised objections to some elements of the joint statement released by India and Afghanistan. Islamabad said that the the mention of Jammu and Kashmir as part of India in the joint statement was “a clear violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions.”
Islamabad also criticised Muttaqi’s assertion that terrorism was an internal issue of Pakistan. The Taliban minister had blamed Pakistan for the October 10 explosions in Kabul, saying, “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.”
As border tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan continue, Taliban has claimed that Afghan forces captured 25 Pakistani army posts, killed 58 of its soldiers and injured 30 others, reported news agency AP.
“The situation on all official borders and de facto lines of Afghanistan is under complete control, and illegal activities have been largely prevented,” Taliban government’s spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told a press conference in Kabul. The Taliban government claims that the strikes were “retaliatory and successful”, and has warned that the forces would respond if the country’s territorial integrity is violated again.
Meanwhile, Shehbaz Sharif has vowed a strong response as well, accusing Taliban authorities in Afghanistan of allowing their land to be used by “terrorist elements”, reported news agency AFP.
In the aftermath of the clashes, border crossings between both countries have reportedly been closed.