Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs, issued a warning to Pakistan on Saturday, cautioning them not to exploit the patience of Afghanistan’s interim government. He emphasized that Afghanistan has fighters who act like atomic bombs.
During the program in Kabul, the Deputy Minister added that Pakistan should not shift its blame onto Afghanistan.
Stanikzai stated: “There are neighboring countries that are arrogant about their weapons and claim that the Islamic Emirate is insignificant and that they have advanced weapons. We tell them: you have named your missiles Ahmad and Mahmood, but we have Ahmad and Mahmood here with us. You named your missiles Ghaznavi, Abdali, and Babur, while our country is full of Abdalis, Ghaznavis, and Baburs—each one of them is like an atomic bomb.”
On the other hand, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during a meeting with security officials, stated that his country had responded decisively to recent attacks.
The Prime Minister said: “A few days ago, there was an attack on Pakistan from the other side, and a crushing response was given to them. Here in Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where some local individuals are present, and also in Balochistan, where conspiracies against Pakistan are being hatched, we know which countries are supporting them.”
Aziz Maharaj, a political analyst, commented on the solutions for resolving issues between Afghanistan and Pakistan: “If the problem is based on facts or has external dimensions, the two sides should negotiate and resolve the matter through dialogue. Otherwise, violence, war, and incursions into each other’s territory are not in the interest of either country.”
The escalation of tensions and armed clashes between the forces of the two countries comes shortly after Pakistani forces targeted Bermal District of Paktika Province with aerial attacks. In response, the Ministry of Defense of the Islamic Emirate carried out retaliatory attacks on positions across the Durand Line.
In the latest incident, forces from the Islamic Emirate and Pakistan engaged in clashes on Friday in Khost Province, which lasted for more than three and a half hours.