New Delhi

India on Thursday rejected allegations by Pakistan that it was aggravating tensions with Afghanistan, calling the claims “baseless” and accusing Islamabad of blaming others for its own actions.

During the weekly media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal dismissed the allegations and said Pakistan’s history of state-sponsored terrorism undermines its credibility.

“On Pakistan, about the statement that they had made. So, on that, I would like to say that we reject such baseless allegations. It has become second nature for Pakistan to blame India for its misdeeds. As a state sponsor of terrorism for decades, Pakistan has zero credibility when it comes to cross-border terrorism; no amount of storytelling is going to alter this reality, nor is anyone fooled by Pakistan’s assumed victimhood,” he said.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have recently exchanged airstrikes and claims of casualties along the disputed Durand Line.

On February 27, Pakistan launched airstrikes targeting Kabul and other Afghan cities as clashes escalated along the shared border. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif described the situation as an “open war,” accusing the Taliban of harbouring global terrorists and exporting militancy.

The Afghan Ministry of National Defence claimed that 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed in retaliatory operations along the Durand Line on February 26.

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have intensified since the return of the Taliban to power in 2021, with frequent clashes reported along the border.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of harbouring the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an armed group that emerged in Pakistan in 2007 and shares ideological and social links with the Taliban. Militancy in Pakistan has also been linked to groups such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which operates in the resource-rich Balochistan province.

Violence has particularly affected the border regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

India has strongly condemned Pakistan’s airstrikes in Afghan territory, highlighting civilian casualties, including women and children, during the holy month of Ramadan.

“India strongly condemns Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghan territory that have resulted in civilian casualties, including women and children, during the holy month of Ramadan. It is another attempt by Pakistan to externalise its internal failures. India reiterates its support for Afghanistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence,” the official response said.

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Meanwhile, António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, has urged both sides to exercise restraint and adhere to international law, according to a statement delivered by his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.