India’s Ministry of External Affairs has criticized Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghan civilians in Paktika, calling the approach of blaming neighbors one of Pakistan’s old methods.
Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, stated that blaming neighbors for internal failures is an old strategy of Pakistan.
The spokesperson remarked: “We have noted the media reports on airstrikes on Afghan civilians, including women and children, in which several precious lives have been lost. We unequivocally condemn any attack on innocent civilians. It is an old practice of Pakistan to blame its neighbours for its own internal failures. We have also noted the response of an Afghan spokesperson in this regard.”
India’s Ministry of External Affairs reacted to Pakistan’s airstrikes on parts of Paktika province while the Islamic Emirate has consistently urged Pakistan to refrain from accusing Afghanistan.
But why do India and Afghanistan share a similar stance on Pakistan?
“The expansion of relations between Afghanistan and India, whether in political, economic, social, or even cultural spheres, has always been a thorn in Pakistan’s side. Pakistan’s military sees both Afghanistan and India as common enemies and, unfortunately, has always hindered the development of Afghanistan-India relations. Pakistan never wishes for Afghanistan and India to have friendly and good neighborly relations,” Najib Rahman Shamal, a political analyst, told TOLOnews.
“Afghanistan has been a battleground for proxy wars among regional powers for decades. If the Taliban government does not think carefully about this matter, it could once again become a field of competition and proxy wars among major powers in the region,” said Asadullah Nadim, another political analyst.
Meanwhile, Rana Sana Ullah Khan, Pakistan’s Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs, stated the day before that his country has the right to carry out military strikes in Afghan territory to eliminate the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The Islamic Emirate has not specifically responded to Pakistan’s Special Assistant to the Prime Minister’s comments. However, it has repeatedly emphasized that Pakistan is responsible for ensuring its own security, which is not related to Afghanistan.