India to Pakistan: Cross-Border Terrorism is the Core Issue to Address

Speaking at his weekly media briefing, Jaiswal maintained that India's relations with Afghanistan stand the same.

"Regarding our ties with Afghanistan? You know where we are in our relations with Afghanistan. And you also know where we are in our relations with Pakistan. So I will leave it at that. The real problem in our ties with Pakistan, as you know, is cross-border terrorism that needs to be addressed," he said.

Jaiswal's remarks came in response to a question on India's position regarding Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif's comments that Islamabad will not hesitate to launch air operations inside Afghanistan to combat militancy. He characterised the current regional instability as the "price we are paying" for decisions made during the 1980s and after the September 11 terrorist attacks, as per Dawn.

"I don't blame anyone because what is happening in Kabul, basically, it's the price we are paying for what we did in the 1980s and what we did after 9/11," he said. He said Pakistan won't hesitate to launch new air operations until Kabul provides security assurances, as per Dawn.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Foreign Office on Thursday said Pakistan reserves the right to target Afghanistan to protect the lives of its citizens amid a spike in cross-border tensions following a deadly attack in Bajaur, as per Dawn.

"Pakistan very legitimately demands that Afghan territory should not be used for terrorism inside Pakistan. So, as long as this demand is not met, whilst exercising patience, all options would obviously remain on the table," Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said at the weekly media briefing, as quoted by Dawn.

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan heightened after the Feb 16 vehicle-borne suicide attack on a joint security forces post in Bajaur district near the Afghan border.

- ANI