‘Contiguous neighbour’: Jaishankar calls Pakistan ‘shared threat’ for India and Afghanistan; sends clear message on PoK | India News

NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Friday listed Pakistan sponsored cross-border terrorism as a “shared threat” for both India and Afghanistan as he met his Afghanistani counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi in Delhi.In his opening remarks, Jaishankar termed cross-border terrorism as a “menace” and said that India and Afghanistan must coordinate efforts to combat. He also called Afghanistan as a “contiguous” neighbour to send a strong message to Pakistan over its illegal occupation in Jammu and Kashmir.“As a contiguous neighbour and a well-wisher of the Afghan people, India has a deep interest in your development and progress,” Jaishankar said.“However, these are endangered by the shared threat of cross-border terrorism that both our nations face. We must coordinate efforts to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We appreciate your sensitivity towards India’s security concerns. Your solidarity with us in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack was noteworthy,” he added.India and Afghanistan share a narrow 106-km land border through the Wakhan Corridor — a strategically vital strip now drawing Chinese interest. In the context of Jaishankar’s statement, the corridor links Afghanistan to the part of Kashmir illegally occupied by Pakistan.Meanwhile, Muttaqi described India as an important country of the region and one that has always stood by Afghan people and assisted them in many areas.“We will not allow any (element) to threaten anyone else or use the territory of Afghanistan against others. Daesh is a challenge for the region and Afghanistan is at the frontlines of this struggle,” he said.“Luckily, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, its forces and its strong struggle against it has eradicated it from Afghanistan. The need of our region is that we combat this menace together and this is a need for the common prosperity of both nations,” he said.Calling India “the first responder”, the Afghan Foreign Minister expressed gratitude to India for providing humanitarian assistance during the earthquake in Afghanistan.“In the recent earthquake in Afghanistan, India was the first responder. Afghanistan looks at India as a close friend. Afghanistan wants relations based on mutual respect, trade and people-to-people relations,” he stated.Expressing gratitude to India for its hospitality, the Afghan Foreign Minister said, “India is a historic and important country of this region. We have had long civilisational and people-to-people ties for centuries, and it is not limited to geography but extends to culture, business, and other avenues that bind both the countries together.”Muttaqi further said that Afghanistan stands ready to create a mechanism of understanding between the two countries to work towards strengthening the relationship.Muttaqi arrived in New Delhi on Thursday for a week-long visit from October 9–16. His trip marks the first high-level delegation from Kabul to New Delhi since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021.