Pakistans primary concerns centered on the India-Afghanistan joint statement’s reference to Jammu and Kashmir as part of India, and Afghanistan’s commitment not to allow its territory to be used against India.

By bno Chennai Office India’s hosting of the Taliban’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi marked a pivotal moment in New Delhi’s pragmatic realignment of its Afghan policy, reflecting a calculated effort to secure national interests amid shifting regional dynamics and ongoing security challenges.

What began as airstrikes by Pakistan on Afghan territory has spiralled into a full-blown military clash, exposing the collapse of Islamabad’s once-vaunted control over the Taliban.

Attacks come amid rising tensions with Islamabad, which accuses the Taliban of sheltering anti-Pakistan armed groups.

As it elevates its relationship with India, Afghanistan’s Taliban government is striking a delicate balance in the region.

Although India has not extended diplomatic recognition to the Kabul regime, the upgrade of the bilateral relationship opens a new chapter in its ties with Afghanistan, and comes at a time when relations between the Taliban regime and Pakistan, which supported and sustained the Taliban for decades, have deteriorated significantly.

However, Muttaqi on Sunday warned Pakistan that Kabul has "other options" if it does not want peace, amid border clashes that have left over 50 Pakistani soldiers killed, and 19 Afghan border posts captured by Pakistan.

Afghanistan's UN-sanctioned foreign minister arrived in India on Thursday, the first visit by a top Taliban leader since they returned to power in 2021 following the withdrawal of US-led forces."India is not in a hurry to provide diplomatic recognition to the Taliban,

New Delhi noted that the statement reflects the geographic reality that India and Afghanistan share contiguous borders, including the 106-km border with Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The joint statement was issued after talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. Pakistan stated that Afghanistan violated a UNSC resolution by going to India and making such a statement.