Kabul: Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has launched a sharp attack on Pakistan, accusing Islamabad of attempting to impose “mysterious projects” on Kabul and using trade restrictions, political leverage and border closures to destabilise the Taliban administration, Afghan media reported on Thursday.

Speaking at a public gathering in Kabul on Wednesday, Muttaqi claimed Pakistan believed Afghans would “get angry” and turn against the Taliban after Islamabad shut key trade routes. But, he said, the border shutdown “did not cause shortage or unrest in Afghanistan”, as other regional partners supplied essential commodities without disruption.

Muttaqi alleged that Pakistan has “long-standing disputes with almost all of its neighbours” and is now pressuring Afghanistan with “unrealistic and unacceptable” security demands. He insisted that the Taliban has already acted on Islamabad’s concerns by relocating Waziristani families from the border region and deploying additional forces over the past four years.

According to Muttaqi, Pakistan expects the Taliban to “deliver everything” while being unable to resolve “its own internal security problems”. He also criticised Pakistan’s political structure, arguing that decision-making is split between civilian leaders and the military, making negotiations “inconsistent and difficult”.

Defends Kabul’s ties with New Delhi

Muttaqi strongly defended Kabul’s outreach to India, calling the relationship “legitimate political and economic relations of a sovereign state”. He questioned Pakistan's objections to recent Taliban delegations visiting New Delhi.

His remarks came amid escalating tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan following cross-border clashes and a series of Pakistani air strikes inside Afghan territory.

Taliban warns of ‘decisive response’

On November 29, the Taliban government warned Pakistan that any violation of Afghan territory would be met with force, asserting that its troops were fully prepared for retaliation.

“Taliban authorities showcased hundreds of newly-graduated commandos this week as tensions with Pakistan rose sharply along the border,” Khaama Press reported. At the ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Ghani Baradar declared that Afghanistan “would not tolerate any violation of its territory” and was ready to respond to aggression.

According to the Taliban Defence Ministry, the new commando units have received “full ideological and military training” and are prepared to defend the borders. Baradar warned neighbouring countries “not to test the patience of Afghans and not to view Afghanistan's territory with ill intent”.

Afghanistan condemns Pakistani strikes

Relations deteriorated further after Islamabad carried out air strikes in the Afghan provinces of Paktika, Khost and Kunar last week. Kabul claimed the attacks killed at least 10 civilians, nine of them children, and injured several others.