ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday dismissed comments made by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi during a visit to India, in which he claimed militant violence in Pakistan was Islamabad’s internal matter, saying Kabul had been repeatedly confronted with evidence of anti-Pakistan groups operating from Afghan territory.
Muttaqi is currently in India, where he met his counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi ahead of India’s decision to upgrade relations with Afghanistan by reopening its embassy in Kabul.
The two sides issued a joint statement expressing their intent to resume cooperation in areas such as cricket and health care, and to launch an air-freight corridor to boost bilateral trade and connectivity.
Muttaqi’s visit to India came as Afghanistan accused Pakistan of breaching its airspace and bombing a border town, while Islamabad voiced concern about cross-border militancy from Afghan soil.
The Afghan minister said in India Pakistan should not blame Afghanistan for its internal problems, prompting the foreign office to convey its concern over the statement to Kabul’s envoy to Islamabad.
