Pakistan today officially lodged a strong protest against a joint declaration by India and Afghanistan, objecting to its reference to Jammu and Kashmir and vehemently rebuffing remarks by Kabul’s top diplomat that terrorism is an internal Pakistani problem.
In a formal diplomatic move, the Additional Foreign Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Afghanistan’s Ambassador to Islamabad to communicate the nation’s profound objections, outlined in a joint statement released on Friday.
Islamabad conveyed that the joint statement’s depiction of Jammu and Kashmir as an integral part of India is a flagrant violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and disregards the disputed territory”s internationally recognized legal status.
The Foreign Office characterized the Indo-Afghan declaration as deeply insensitive to the sentiments and sacrifices of the people in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, undermining their ongoing struggle for the right to self-determination.
Furthermore, the statement from the foreign ministry firmly repudiated the assertion made by Afghanistan”s Acting Foreign Minister, who claimed that terrorism is a domestic issue for Pakistan.
Islamabad countered that it has consistently provided Kabul with intelligence concerning the presence of terrorist factions, identified as Fitna-al-Khawarij and Fitna-al-Hindustan, which allegedly operate from Afghan territory to launch attacks against Pakistan with the backing of elements inside Afghanistan.