Ties
ISLAMABAD: Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has issued asharp rebuke to Pakistan’s repeated objections to any improvement inAfghanistan-India relations, asserting that the Taliban-led governmentpossesses the sovereign right to establish diplomatic and economic tieswith any country, including India.
Speaking at a press conference in Kabul, Muttaqi directly challengedIslamabad’s position by pointing out the apparent double standards inPakistan’s foreign policy. “We have the right to establish relations withanyone we want,” he declared. Drawing a pointed comparison, the ministerasked, “Doesn’t Pakistan maintain an embassy in New Delhi despite decadesof hostility? Then why should Afghanistan be denied the same prerogative?”
The remarks come amid growing frustration in Pakistani security circlesover reported Indian consular activities in Afghanistan and allegations ofNew Delhi providing covert support to anti-Pakistan militant groupsoperating from Afghan soil. Islamabad has consistently urged the Talibanadministration to sever or severely restrict ties with India, viewing anywarming of relations as a direct threat to its national security.
Muttaqi dismissed such demands as interference in Afghanistan’s internaland external affairs. “We will have relations with India,” he statedcategorically, adding that Kabul would determine its foreign policyindependently and in accordance with its national interests. The actingforeign minister emphasised that diplomatic relations with India predatethe Taliban’s return to power and that several regional countries,including Pakistan itself, continue to engage New Delhi despite historicalrivalries.
The public confrontation marks a significant deterioration inKabul-Islamabad relations, already strained over the Tehrik-i-TalibanPakistan (TTP) insurgency and border skirmishes. Pakistani officials haveprivately expressed alarm at the prospect of a strategic Kabul-New Delhiaxis that could encircle Pakistan on both its eastern and western frontiers.
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Diplomatic sources in Islamabad indicate that Pakistan may review itspolicy of continued recognition of the Taliban government if Kabul persistswith deepening ties with India. Meanwhile, observers note that the Talibanappear increasingly confident in asserting their independence, bolstered bygrowing economic engagement with India, China, and several Central Asianstates.
The exchange underscores the fragile nature of Pakistan-Afghanistan tiesand highlights the limits of Islamabad’s influence over the current regimein Kabul, barely four years after Pakistani facilitation played a key rolein the Taliban’s return to power.
