By The South Asia Times

ISLAMABAD -Pakistan said on Sunday that India’s “crying and frustration” over the destruction of terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan is “quite understandable,” adding that it clearly shows New Delhi’s alleged involvement in cross-border terrorism and its use of Afghan soil to operate terrorist organizations.

In a sharp rebuke to a statement issued by India's Ministry of External Affairs, Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said India's protest was not only "absurd and unwarranted" but also revealed New Delhi's involvement in supporting militant groups targeting Pakistan.

"India's active support and sponsorship of terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil, including Fitna-al-Khawarij (TTP) and Fitna-al-Hindustan (BLA), are well known," Andrabi said in an official response. "Therefore, India's frustration at the destruction of its terrorist franchise in Afghanistan, as reflected in such statements, is quite understandable."

Islamabad said that India is running terrorist networks inside Afghanistan aimed at destabilizing Pakistan. The references to "Fitna-al-Khawarij" and "Fitna-al-Hindustan" are terms Pakistani officials use to describe terrorist groups - including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other outfits - that Islamabad alleges operate with Indian support from sanctuaries in Afghan territory.

Pakistan has long accused its eastern neighbor of using Afghan soil to foment insurgency inside Pakistan. However, Sunday's statement from the Foreign Office explicitly ties India's diplomatic protest to the loss of what it describes as India's assets in Afghanistan.

The response comes days after Pakistan conducted what it called "legitimate, targeted and precise actions" against terrorist hideouts inside Afghanistan -- operations that reportedly killed hundreds of Afghan Taliban and TTP militants and destroyed infrastructure Islamabad says was being used to launch cross-border attacks.

Andrabi's statement went beyond Afghanistan, launching a broad critique of India's domestic and international conduct. The spokesperson said India is a "serial violator of human rights and international law" and alleged it continues to "illegally occupy Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir" in violation of the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions.

"Guided by Hindutva extremist ideology, it also continues to systematically marginalise its minorities, spread Islamophobia, and has even weaponised water in contravention of its treaty obligations," Andrabi said, referring to long-standing disputes over river waters under the Indus Waters Treaty.

The statement added India of playing "the role of a spoiler in Afghanistan, but also in the entire region" and said that with such "shameful credentials," India was "in no position to make such statements."

India had earlier issued a statement criticizing Pakistan's military actions inside Afghanistan.

However, Andrabi concluded by reaffirming Pakistan's determination to continue such operations.

"For its part, Pakistan remains determined to take all appropriate actions in self-defence and to protect its citizens in accordance with international law, including the UN Charter," the spokesperson said.

The statement implicitly warns India against further involvement in Afghanistan while signaling that Pakistan will not be deterred by diplomatic criticism from New Delhi. It also suggests Islamabad views Indian protests not as expressions of concern for Afghan sovereignty but as a reflection of wounded interests, specifically, the degradation of assets Pakistan alleges India has cultivated inside Afghanistan over the years.