Pakistan calls IEA defense minister’s recent remarks about Islamabad ‘ironic’

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has described recent remarks made by Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, the Defense Minister of the Islamic Emirate, about Islamabad’s failure to curb terrorism as “ironic.”

“It appears to be an exercise in irony. Whatever the statement issued from the other side, it cannot mask the seriousness of this issue, the enormity of the matter cannot be diminished by whatever number of statements you issue,” said Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan.

Recently, Yaqoob Mujahid said in an interview with the BBC that Islamabad blames Afghanistan for the ongoing violence in Pakistan in order to cover up the weaknesses of its own security forces.

Ali Khan claims that the presence of terrorist sanctuaries, especially those of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) members inside Afghanistan is a serious issue.

Kabul, however, has consistently dismissed such claims as exaggerated, repeatedly assuring that no group, including the TTP, is present on Afghan soil, nor is anyone allowed to use Afghan territory for such purposes.

“I would want to reiterate that the sanctuaries enjoyed by terrorists, particularly the Fitna Al Khwarij in Afghanistan is a serious issue. It has been discussed with utmost seriousness at very senior levels of the state between the two countries. And it remains one issue which bedevils relations between two close neighbors, and which is the main impediment to the kind of relationship which should exist between our two countries, given the commonality of faith, culture, history, language,” Ali Khad added.

In another part of his remarks, Ali Khan said that Pakistan respects Afghanistan’s sovereignty and, in the face of threats stemming from terrorist hideouts and sanctuaries inside Afghanistan, has always prioritized diplomacy.

He stressed that Islamabad remains committed to strengthening dialogue and cooperation with Kabul to address the shared challenge of terrorism.

These remarks by the spokesperson of Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry come as the spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense earlier claimed that, based on available documents and evidence, Daesh fighters are being trained on the other side of the Durand Line and then sent into Afghanistan.