Kabul on Saturday rubbished Pakistan’s claims that India has launched a missile attack on Afghanistan’s territory, hours after India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri called out the “ludicrous claim”.
Inayatullah Khawarizmi, a spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Defence, spoke to Hurriyat Radio and strongly rejected Pakistan’s claim, saying there was no truth to them.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs also rejected the claim, saying the people of Afghanistan know their friends and enemies well and are aware of which country has repeatedly violated Afghanistan’s territory.
Earlier in the day, Misri, while addressing a press briefing, said: “There is this completely ludicrous claim that Indian missiles have hit Afghanistan. Totally frivolous allegation. And I only want to point out that Afghan people don’t need to be reminded about which country it is that has, on multiple occasions, in just the last 1.5 years, targeted the civilian population and civilian infrastructure in Afghanistan.”
After the fall of the Taliban in 2001, India became one of Afghanistan’s largest regional donors, contributing over $3 billion for infrastructure, education, health, and development. After the Taliban regained control in 2021, India’s diplomatic presence was reduced but humanitarian aid continues, and India re-established a technical team in Kabul in mid-2022.
Geopolitical experts feel that Pakistan’s claims are an attempt to showcase itself as Afghanistan’s “defender” and use it as a pawn to play the victim card.