Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed serious concern over the visit of acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to India. A statement issued on October 11 expressed "Pakistan's strong reservations on the elements of the India-Afghanistan Joint Statement, issued on 10 October 2025 in New Delhi; particularly the reference to Jammu and Kashmir as part of India is in clear violation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the legal status of Jammu and Kashmir. The Joint Statement is highly insensitive to the sacrifices and sentiments of the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir in their just struggle for the right to self-determination." The statement also "strongly rejected the Afghan Acting Foreign Minister's assertion that terrorism is Pakistan's internal problem."

Indo-Afghan nexus is not a new phenomenon. But the week-long visit of Muttaqi to India led to the renewal of Indo-Afghan ties. Following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the assumption of power by the Taliban in August 2021, New Delhi had ceased its relations with Kabul and closed its embassy there. But, later on it reviewed its decision and without recognising the Taliban regime decided to reopen its embassy and pledged to help the Taliban regime overcome its economic predicament. Interestingly, the fresh outbreak of armed conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan occurred when the Afghan foreign minister was in India.

How does the Indo-Afghan nexus pose a threat to Pakistan's national security interests and why does the Taliban........

© The Express Tribune