Pakistan Air Strikes in Afghanistan Risk Regional Stability: India

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India Slams Pakistan for Launching Air Strikes in Afghanistan

By Raisina Correspondent

New Delhi, January 6: India on Monday said that the Pakistani air strikes inside Afghanistan is a risk to regional peace and stability. The official statement of the Ministry of External Affairs came a few days after Afghanistan launched punitive strikes in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa areas against the Pakistani airstrikes.

“We have taken note of reports of airstrikes on Afghan civilians, including women and children. This violence is not only reprehensible but also poses a serious threat to regional peace and stability,” said Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs. He was responding to a media query on the Pakistani airstrikes during a regular press briefing.

“Innocent civilians should not be targeted at any cost,” said Jaiswal. Afghanistan has accused Pakistan of killing civilians in the airstrikes. Pakistan claimed that the airstrikes were aimed at “terrorists”.

Jaiswal also accused Pakistan of levelling false allegations to divert attention from its internal issues. “It is Pakistan’s old habit to blame neighbours for its internal failures,” he said.

The Pakistani Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar at a press conference in Islamabad last week claimed that “Afghanistan has pushed thousands of terrorists inside Pakistan”. Dar also claimed that Pakistan is paying a heavy price for a cup of tea.

His reference was for former ISI chief Faiz Hameed who had overseen the Taliban takeover of Kabul while allegedly making the border with Afghanistan open. Dar claimed that “terrorists pushed by Afghanistan” are involved in terror activities in Baluchistan. Hameed was close to the jailed Imran Khan, who was ousted as the prime minister as a part of an alleged coup hatched by the military brass in the Islamic nation.

Chinese personnel and projects have also been attacked in Pakistan in recent months. Media reports said that China is pressing Pakistan to allow Beijing to deploy own security personnel to safeguard its investments in the Islamic nation.

Afghanistan has vowed to defend against Pakistani attacks. The ruling Taliban in Afghanistan also refuses to accept the Durand Line that divides the two Islamic nations.

India accused Pakistan of “increasing instability in South Asia” by carrying out airstrikes in Afghanistan. Afghanistan has appealed to the international community to intervene and hold Pakistan accountable for killing civilians.

Jaiswal said: “We appeal to all parties to exercise restraint and resolve tensions through dialogue. It is time to prioritise regional cooperation and ensure the safety of innocent people.”

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