Islamabad, 12 October (H.S.): Pakistan has lodged a formal protest with Afghanistan over references to Jammu and Kashmir in a joint statement issued during Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s ongoing visit to New Delhi.The Afghan Foreign Minister, who arrived in India on Thursday for a six‑day official engagement, held talks with External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and condemned the April terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, pledging solidarity with India.

Both sides also denounced terrorism emanating from regional countries, stressing the need for peace, stability, and mutual trust in South Asia.Pakistan’s Foreign Office said the Additional Foreign Secretary (West Asia & Afghanistan) summoned the Afghan ambassador on Saturday to convey “strong reservations” over the Kashmir reference, calling it a violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

Islamabad also rejected Muttaqi’s claim that terrorism is an internal issue of Pakistan, countering that such remarks ignored Afghanistan’s responsibility to prevent its territory from being used against Pakistan.

Highlighting its decades‑long hospitality, Pakistan noted it has hosted nearly four million Afghans over 40 years, but reiterated that all unauthorised Afghan nationals should now return home as peace returns to Afghanistan. Islamabad insisted it reserves the right to regulate the presence of foreign nationals, adding that visas for Afghan citizens continue to be issued for medical and educational purposes in the spirit of “Islamic brotherhood and good neighbourly relations.”

Pakistan further underlined its desire for a peaceful, regionally connected, and prosperous Afghanistan, but emphasised that the Afghan interim government must take concrete measures to curb cross‑border terrorism.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar