India dismisses Pakistan’s accusation of backing Afghan Taliban

India rubbishes Pakistan’s claims of its role in Taliban clashes, saying such “storytelling” won’t hide Islamabad’s support for cross-border terrorism

India on Thursday rubbished Pakistan’s allegations of an Indian hand in recent clashes between Pakistani troops and the Taliban and said such “storytelling” will not change the fact that Islamabad backs cross-border terrorism.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said as a state sponsor of terrorism for decades, Pakistan has zero credibility when it comes to cross-border terrorism.

This was the latest instance of the Indian side backing the Afghan Taliban regime in Kabul in ongoing clashes with the Pakistani military. Fighting between the two sides intensified on February 26, when Afghanistan launched an offensive along the border in retaliation for Pakistan’s air strikes targeting the Pakistani Taliban.

When external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked at a weekly media briefing about Pakistan’s accusations about Indian involvement in backing the Afghan Taliban, he replied: “We reject such baseless allegations. It has become second nature for Pakistan to blame India for its own misdeeds.

“As a state sponsor of terrorism for decades, Pakistan has zero credibility when it comes to cross-border terrorism. No amount of storytelling is going to alter this reality, nor is anyone fooled by Pakistan’s assumed victimhood.”

Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of harbouring the Pakistani Taliban, which has carried out a series of deadly attacks inside Pakistan, and fighters of the Islamic State-Khorasan Province. The Afghan Taliban have denied these charges.

Jaiswal also rejected Pakistan’s criticism of a recent agreement between a Canadian company and India’s Department of Atomic Energy for the supply of uranium ore and said Islamabad’s reaction is “ludicrous” and an attempt to distract attention from its own “abysmal record” of failing to prevent nuclear proliferation.

“We reject the statement made by Pakistan on the matter. India’s credentials regarding non-proliferation are impeccable and well recognised by the global community,” Jaiswal said.

Pakistan, with a “well-documented history of clandestine nuclear proliferation”, can “hardly preach the virtues of export controls and proliferation risks” and such “ludicrous statements” are nothing more than an attempt to distract from Islamabad’s own abysmal record, he said.

The Department of Atomic Energy and the Canadian company signed a $1.9-billion agreement on March 2 for the supply of almost 22 million pounds of uranium during 2027-2035. Pakistan’s foreign ministry claimed the deal will help India expand its nuclear arsenal.