'Kashmir, India' Reference in India-Afghan Statement Triggers Pakistani Protest

New Delhi: Even as Pakistani and Afghan forces clashed at their border, Islamabad on Saturday summoned the Afghan ambassador to protest that the Taliban regime had effectively recognised Indian sovereignty over Jammu and Kashmir.

Islamabad’s ire was triggered by Friday’s joint statement issued after talks between visiting Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and India’s external affairs minister, S. Jaishankar, in New Delhi. The statement referred to the site of the Pahalgam terror attack as being located in “Jammu and Kashmir, India”.

The Pakistani foreign office summoned the Afghan envoy and conveyed that the “reference to Jammu and Kashmir as part of India is in clear violation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the legal status of Jammu and Kashmir”. It also claimed that the joint statement was “highly insensitive” to the “sacrifices and sentiments” of Jammu and Kashmir.

In a separate statement on Sunday, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari said that “Pakistan will never accept any disputed or misleading position on Jammu and Kashmir”. He said that it was “unfortunate that the current Interim Afghan administration has turned away from the just struggle of the oppressed people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, thereby doing injustice to both history and the Muslim Ummah”.

There was no response to the Pakistani foreign ministry objection at Sunday’s press conference by the Afghan foreign minister. However, it is learnt from diplomatic sources that the Afghan side has stood by the joint statement.

This is probably the first time that the Taliban have officially – if implicitly – recognised Kashmir as a part of India. While condemning the Pahalgam terror attack in April, the Afghan foreign ministry spokesperson had referred only to "the Pahalgam region of Jammu and Kashmir" and made no reference to India in his official statement.

New Delhi maintains that India and Afghanistan share a 106-kilometre border due to Kashmir. Though this region of J&K has been under Pakistani occupation since the end of 1947, Jaishankar reiterated this view in his opening remarks at Friday’s meeting, describing India as a “contiguous neighbour” of Afghanistan.

According to sources, the Taliban have not commented on Kashmir since coming to power (for the second time) on August 15, 2021, confining itself to stating that the problem must be discussed by Pakistan and India.

In August 2021, Taliban spokesperson Zahibullah Mujahid said that the two South Asian rivals should sit together to resolve all issues.

A month later, Taliban leader Anas Haqqani had said that “Kashmir is not part of our jurisdiction and interference is against our policy”.

The October 10, 2025 joint statement is the first formal diplomatic document between India and the Taliban government, following limited contact since 2021.

The joint statement came as tensions between Kabul and Islamabad escalated to military clashes.

At a media briefing in New Delhi on Sunday, Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi rejected Pakistan’s allegations that militants were operating from Afghan soil. “There are no safe havens of TTP in Afghanistan now,” he said

“Even before our return to Kabul, the Pakistan military carried out operations in tribal areas that displaced a large number of people. The US military and the US-supported former government gave refuge to them on Afghan soil and we inherited the legacy. They are Pakistani people from displaced areas and are allowed to live in the country as refugees,” he added.

Muttaqi said the long and rugged frontier made complete control impossible. “The Afghanistan-Pakistan border, the Durand Line, is more than 2,400 km long. It could neither be controlled by ‘Changez’ nor ‘Angrez’... Strength alone cannot control it.”

Calling the unrest an internal Pakistani issue, Muttaqi said, “If Pakistan wants peace, they have a bigger army and better intelligence – why are they not controlling it? Instead of blaming us, they should control the issues in their territory.”

Muttaqi added that most Pakistanis wanted peace and friendly ties with Afghanistan. “The people of Pakistan, in the majority, are peace-loving and want good relations with Afghanistan. We have no issues with the Pakistani civilians. There are a few elements in Pakistan that are creating tensions.”

He said Afghanistan would defend its borders if attacked. “Afghanistan will safeguard its borders and its national interest, and that is why it immediately retaliated to the escalation from Pakistan. We achieved our military objectives last night, and our friends, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, have expressed that this conflict should come to an end, so we have paused it from our side for the time being. The situation is now under control. We only want good relations and peace.”

He warned that Afghanistan would unite against any interference in its affairs. “When someone tries to interfere in our internal matters, all civilians, government heads, ulemas and religious leaders come together,” he said. “Afghanistan has been under conflict for 40 years... it is finally free and working for peace. If Pakistan doesn’t want good relations and peace, then Afghanistan has other options as well”.

Deadly border fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan left scores dead over the weekend, marking one of the most serious escalations between the two sides in recent years.

Pakistan said 23 of its soldiers were killed and claimed its forces killed more than 200 Taliban and affiliated fighters in overnight clashes along the frontier. The Taliban’s chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, however, said nine of its fighters were killed while claiming that 58 Pakistani troops died in the fighting.

According to Pakistani officials, the clashes began late on Saturday after Afghan forces opened fire on border posts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Islamabad said the attacks were “unprovoked” and aimed at destabilising the border region. The Taliban described its actions as a “retaliatory operation” for Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan territory earlier in the week.

Both sides said they had inflicted heavy losses on the other and briefly seized several posts along the border. Pakistani media reported that its forces used tanks, artillery, fighter jets and drones, and that at least 19 Afghan border posts were captured. Taliban officials said they overran dozens of Pakistani positions before halting their advance under mediation by Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

The fighting prompted Pakistan to seal major border crossings at Torkham in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Chaman in Baluchistan, along with several smaller points, halting all traffic and trade. Visuals broadcast on state media showed Pakistani troops raising the national flag over damaged Afghan posts.

The Pakistani military said its forces had carried out “precision strikes” on Taliban camps and command centres, including facilities it accused of housing Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants and other groups. The Taliban, in turn, warned that its forces were “fully prepared to defend the nation’s borders” if Pakistan struck again.

The clashes followed a week of rising tensions after Pakistan blamed the TTP,  which it accuses Kabul of sheltering, for attacks that killed at least 20 security personnel and three civilians in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The violence has deepened mistrust between the two neighbours, whose relations have deteriorated since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Cross-border attacks have become frequent, and Islamabad’s ongoing crackdown on Afghan refugees has further strained ties.

Qatar and Saudi Arabia have since urged both sides to de-escalate and resolve their differences through dialogue. Taliban officials said their forces have now paused operations, describing the situation along the border as “under control”.

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