Bangkok, Oct 22 (IANS) Afghanistan’s Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqoob has termed Pakistan’s allegations of blaming India for recent clashes between Kabul and Islamabad as “unfounded, illogical, and unacceptable” while emphasising that the Taliban regime looks forward to strengthening ties with India “within the framework of national interests”.

“These accusations are baseless. Our policy will never involve using our territory against other countries. We maintain relations with India as an independent nation and will strengthen those ties within the framework of our national interests,” Yaqoob, son of Taliban founder Mullah Umar, was quoted as saying.

Yaqoob, who was considered close to Islamabad, stressed that Pakistan’s accusations are “unfounded, illogical, and unacceptable”.

He called mutual respect and commitment key to continuing the peace agreement with Pakistan. “Qatar and Turkey should assist and monitor its implementation. The agreement will only hold if no country violates another’s territory,” Yaqoob was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera, according to a report in Thailand’s Page 3 News.

The statement comes after Pakistan had accused India of being responsible for Kabul’s worsening ties with Islamabad, with Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, saying that Taliban government was “sitting in India’s lap” and fighting “India’s proxy war”.

When asked about Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict on October 16, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said, “Three things are clear. One, Pakistan hosts terrorist organisations and sponsors terrorist activities. Two, it is an old practice of Pakistan to blame its neighbours for its own internal failures. Three, Pakistan is infuriated with Afghanistan exercising sovereignty over its own territories. India remains fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Afghanistan.”

Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan escalated on October 11, days after explosions rocked Kabul while Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was in India. In response, Taliban launched a deadly offensive along parts of its southern border with Pakistan.

Pakistan has accused Taliban of allowing hostile groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to operate from “sanctuaries” in Afghanistan, a charge denied by Taliban. Taliban has blamed Pakistan’s aggressive actions, including airstrikes on Kabul, as the reasons for the escalation of the conflict.

–IANS

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