Afghanistan has officially rebuked Pakistan for linking the current situation in Kashmir with the situation in Afghanistan. An Afghan diplomat slammed her Pakistani counterpart for linking the current situation in Kashmir with the ongoing peace efforts in Afghanistan, calling it “reckless, unwarranted and irresponsible”.
In a lengthy statement, Roya Rahmani, the Afghan Ambassador to the US, said on Sunday: “The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan strongly questions the assertion made by Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, Asad Majeed Khan, that the ongoing tensions in Kashmir could potentially affect Afghanistan’s peace process.”
Struggling to draw attention to the Kashmir issue, Pakistan had linked it to Afghanistan imbroglio, warning that it might have to redeploy troops from the Afghanistan border to that of Kashmir. On August 13, Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, Asad Majeed Khan, raised this possibility while talking to the editorial board of the New York Times.
Rahmani said the assertion by the Pakistani Ambassador that the Kashmir issue could compel Pakistan to reposition its troops from its western frontier with Afghanistan to its eastern border with India is “a misleading statement which inaccurately suggests that Afghanistan poses a threat” to Pakistan.
The Afghan diplomat further asserted that Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and by linking it to the Afghan peace efforts the Imran Khan government is deliberately attempting to further instigate violence in the trouble-torn nation and is using it an excuse to justify its inaction against Taliban and to avoid taking a decisive stance against the militant group.
“There is no threat from Afghanistan to Pakistan. The Afghan government sees no credible reason for Pakistan to maintain tens of thousands of military troops on its western frontier,” she said.
“On the contrary, Afghan stability is frequently threatened by Pakistan-based, sanctioned and supported militant and terrorist groups,” Rahmani furthered.
These groups operate openly from Pakistan-governed spaces and regularly spill over into Afghanistan, she alleged.
“Pakistani authorities should address this problem by undertaking a sincere and forceful law and order measure through police actions inside Pakistan,” she said.
Slamming Pakistan, Rahmani said the statement by her Pakistani counterpart runs contrary to the positive and constructive engagement Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had with Prime Minister Imran Khan and Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on his recent visit to the country.
Pakistan has been completely rattled ever since India decided to abrogate Article 370 and proceeded to bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir. On August 7, Pakistan had announced several reactionary steps after Article 370 was abrogated by India.
After a meeting of National Security Council headed by prime minister Imran Khan, Pakistan had decided to downgrade diplomatic relations, suspension of bilateral trade, review of bilateral arrangements, taking the matter to UN including the security council. They had also decided to observe 14th August in solidarity with Kashmiris, and 15th August as a black day.
Moreover, to create a fear-based environment and to mislead people, Pakistan has been resorting to spreading fake news and misinformation on social media after the historic decision of abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5.
