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India rejects Pak leadership’s remarks on Kashmir, Afghanistan, says focus on terror
Indian officials have for long blamed Pakistan’s security establishment of having close links to terror groups active in Afghanistan, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Haqqani Network, a key faction of the Afghan Taliban.
India on Thursday brushed aside the Pakistani leadership’s recent assertions about the Kashmir issue and India’s role in Afghanistan, and said Islamabad should focus on creating an atmosphere conducive to normal bilateral relations by taking action against terrorism.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi was responding to comments by Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi that India’s presence in Afghanistan is larger than it ought to be, and Prime Minister Imran Khan’s contention that both countries wouldn’t need nuclear weapons if they settled the Kashmir issue.
Referring to the remarks by Pakistan’s foreign minister on India’s role in Afghanistan, Bagchi said: “We firmly believe that it is for the Afghan people to decide their partners and the size of the partnership. India has brought electricity, dams, schools, health clinics, roads and community projects to Afghanistan. And the world knows what Pakistan has brought to Afghanistan.”
Indian officials have for long blamed Pakistan’s security establishment of having close links to terror groups active in Afghanistan, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Haqqani Network, a key faction of the Afghan Taliban.
Bagchi also dismissed the Pakistan prime minister’s comments on the Kashmir issue, saying: “Regarding developments in Jammu and Kashmir, this is clearly an internal matter for India.”
He added, “As far as our bilateral relations with Pakistan are concerned, our stand is well known. We desire normal relations with all our neighbours, including Pakistan. Pakistan must work towards creating a conducive atmosphere, including by taking credible, verifiable and irreversible actions to not allow any territory under its control to be used for cross-border terrorism against India in any manner.”
The spokesperson also responded to several questions on India’s position on the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan and the reported outreach to Taliban factions and leaders amid the drawdown of US troops, which is likely to be completed well before the deadline of September set by the Biden administration.
“Our perspective on Afghanistan has been enunciated on various occasions. India supports all peace initiatives and has a long-term commitment towards development and reconstruction of Afghanistan,” Bagchi said.
“In this context, we remain in touch with various stakeholders, including regional countries,” he added.
Bagchi also referred to external affairs minister S Jaishankar’s statement at a UN Security Council debate on Afghanistan on Tuesday, saying it had laid out India’s concern at the upsurge in violence and the vision for Afghanistan’s future.
Without directly naming Pakistan, Jaishankar had called for zero tolerance for cross-border terrorism and also sought full transit rights for Afghanistan. He also called for a permanent ceasefire to end a surge in violence, including targeted attacks on women, minorities and civil society activists, and said India will welcome any move towards a genuine political settlement in Afghanistan.
