New Delhi [India], October 12 (ANI): Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Sunday warned Pakistan that Kabul has “other options” if it does not want peace, amid border clashes that Kabul says have left more than 50 Pakistani soldiers killed and Pakistan claims to have captured 19 Afghan border posts.
Muttaqi said Afghanistan has no issues with Pakistani civilians but accused “a few elements in Pakistan” of creating tensions. Cross-border attacks followed Pakistani air strikes on the Afghan capital on Thursday, which Kabul blamed on Islamabad. Key border crossings between the two countries have been closed after fierce clashes.
Afghan officials said their forces killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in overnight border operations, a figure Pakistan put at 23. Pakistan said its security forces captured 19 Afghan border posts, Al Jazeera reported.
“The people of Pakistan, in the majority, are peace-loving and want good relations with Afghanistan. We have no issues with the Pakistani civilians. There are a few elements in Pakistan that are creating tensions,” he said.
He added that Afghanistan had achieved “our military objectives” by retaliating against what it described as an escalation from Pakistan. “Afghanistan will safeguard its borders and its national interest, and that is why it immediately retaliated to the escalation from Pakistan. We achieved our military objectives last night, and our friends, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, have expressed that this conflict should come to an end, so we have paused it from our side for the time being. The situation is now under control. We only want good relations and peace,” Muttaqi said.
Muttaqi said Afghanistan remains united in the face of attack. “When someone tries to interfere in our internal matters, all civilians, government heads, ulemas and religious leaders come together to fight in the interest of the country… Afghanistan has been under conflict for 40 years… Afghanistan is finally free and is working for peace… If Pakistan doesn’t want good relations and peace, then Afghanistan has other options as well,” he said.
He denied the presence of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan and alleged that past operations by Pakistan, with U.S. backing of the former government, displaced many tribal people who later took refuge on Afghan soil. “There is no presence of TTP in Afghanistan now. Even prior to our return to Kabul, the Pakistan military carried out operations in tribal areas that led to the displacement of a large number of people. The U.S. military and the U.S.-supported former government gave refuge to them on Afghan soil. They are Pakistani people from displaced areas and are allowed to live in the country as refugees,” he said.
Muttaqi also invoked the lengthy, hard-to-control Durand Line border, saying, “The Afghanistan-Pakistan border, the Durand Line, is more than 2,400 km long. It could neither be controlled by ‘Changez’ nor ‘Angrez.’”
He urged Pakistan to address the issue internally rather than blame Afghanistan. “Strength alone cannot control it. If Pakistan wants peace, they have a bigger army and better intelligence — why are they not controlling it? This fight is inside Pakistan. Instead of blaming us, they should control the issues in their territory. Why is Pakistan not taking its people into confidence? Many people in Pakistan, and certainly we, do not want the fight to continue. But Pakistan should take control of these groups. Why endanger its own people to please a few?” he said. (ANI)
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