‘Old habit of Pakistan’: India responds to Islamabad’s accusations that Taliban is fighting New Delhi’s proxy war

India has dismissed Pakistan's accusations that the Afghan Taliban is fighting a proxy war for New Delhi, following recent tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal clarified India's position after Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif suggested that the Taliban's decisions were influenced by India.

Islamabad claims the Taliban is harbouring militants from the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), responsible for attacks within Pakistan. Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, speaking to GeoTV, charged that "the Taliban was 'fighting a proxy war' on behalf of India," and expressed doubts about the ceasefire's durability, claiming Taliban decisions were "being sponsored by Delhi." The situation remains tense after a fragile ceasefire was reached following air strikes and cross-border fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan that caused casualties on both sides.

Jaiswal stated, "Pakistan hosts terrorist organisations and sponsors terrorist activities. It is an old habit of Pakistan to put blame on neighbours.” India also rejected the notion that the Afghan Taliban was acting as its proxy, calling such accusations a recurring narrative from Islamabad.

India underscored its commitment to Afghanistan's sovereignty, with the MEA spokesperson stating, "Pakistan is infuriated with Afghanistan exercising sovereignty over its own territories. India remains fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Afghanistan." The Indian government confirmed it is closely monitoring the situation and reiterated its support for Afghanistan.

These developments come as India prepares to transition its technical mission in Kabul back to a fully operational embassy. Jaiswal confirmed the transition "will happen in the next few days," signalling a potential reset in India's engagement with the Taliban government, although formal recognition has not occurred. This follows the visit of Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to New Delhi.