FO rejects India’s ‘absurd and unwarranted’ statement on actions in Afghanistan
Islamabad: The Foreign Office (FO) on Sunday rejected a statement made by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs criticising Pakistan’s cross-border action in Afghanistan, stating that the statement was “absurd, unwarranted” and “shamefully hypocritical”.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the development comes as Pakistan continues with Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, which was launched in late February following unprovoked firing by the Afghan Taliban from across the border.
A day earlier, the Indian MEA’s spokesperson Shri Randhir Jaisal claimed that Pakistan’s strikes in Afghanistan had led to “death of several civilians”, terming it an “act of aggression”.
In response, the FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi rejected the claim, stating that the remarks against Pakistan’s “legitimate, targeted and precise actions against terrorist hideouts and support bases inside Afghanistan are not only absurd and unwarranted but also shamefully hypocritical”.
The spokesperson maintained that India’s “active support and sponsorship” for terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil — Fitna-al-Khawarij and Fitna-al-Hindustan — remained “well-known”.
Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, while Fitna al Hindustan is a term designated by the state for terrorist organisations in Balochistan.
Under the above circumstances, he held that India’s “frustration at the destruction of its terrorist franchise in Afghanistan, as reflected in such statements, is quite understandable”.
“India, a serial violator of human rights and international law, continues to illegally occupy Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir in violation of the United Nations Charter and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and has been responsible for perpetrating state terrorism in the occupied territory,” the statement read.
