Goa, Oct. 13 -- The Taliban have backed India's sovereignty over Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), triggering a sharp reaction from Pakistan amid already tense ties with Afghanistan, further strained by recent border clashes. Taliban officials highlighted mutual support for each other's territorial integrity in a joint statement following External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's meeting with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

Pakistan viewed the inclusion of J&K in the joint statement as an opening of a new front in their strained relationship, arguing that it violated UNSC resolutions and the legal status of J&K. New Delhi, however, maintained that the statement reaffirmed India-Afghanistan contiguity, noting that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir...