Heavy clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan on Oct. 9, occurring at multiple locations along their border, in which dozens were killed on both sides, followed an Oct. 7 airstrike on Kabul, allegedly carried out by Pakistan, but which Islamabad has yet to acknowledge. It was one of the worst border clashes between the two nations in recent years.
Islamabad has not directly claimed responsibility for the strikes, but it accuses Afghanistan of allowing Pakistani Taliban (TTP) to carry out attacks on Pakistan from Afghan territory, and asserts that Pakistan has the right to defend itself against that. Afghanistan’s Taliban, in turn, announced it had carried out attacks on Pakistani troops along their shared border in “retaliation for airstrikes carried out by the Pakistani army on Kabul.”
On Oct. 10, during his visit to India, Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi asserted the situation was “under control,” claiming that his government had achieved its objectives, “and then our friends like Qatar and Saudi Arabia appealed that war must stop now, and the war is ceased right now.” This is significant, given that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have a bilateral security pact that stipulates that an attack on one is an attack on both.
Likewise on Oct. 10, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif issued a statement that Islamabad “strongly condemns provocations” by Kabul. “There will be no compromise on Pakistan’s defense, and every provocation will be met with a strong and effective response.”
Statements from the foreign ministries of Iran and Russia, like those of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, urged both sides to exercise restraint and to prioritize dialogue and diplomacy for both regional stability, as well as that of the two nations.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lin Jian, in his Oct. 13 briefing, offered China’s help in “playing a constructive role for the improvement and development of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations,” and along with that, good advice on the thinking required for these countries, “both friendly neighbors of China,” to find a path out of conflict altogether.
“The two countries are and will always be neighbors of each other. Upholding good-neighborliness and the friendly ties, pursuing economic and social development and jointly combating terrorism serve the fundamental and long-term interests of both sides,” said Lin Jian. “China sincerely hopes that the two countries will, in light of the larger interests, stay cool-headed and exercise restraint, properly address each other’s concerns through dialogue and consultation, avoid any escalation, and together work for the peace and stability of the countries and the wider region.”
