Rawalpindi (TDI): Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Tuesday dismissed allegations by the Afghan Taliban that Pakistan had carried out overnight airstrikes inside Afghanistan, state media reported.
The statement came hours after Taliban officials accused Pakistan of attacks in Khost, Kunar, and Paktika provinces.
According to state broadcaster Pakistan Television, the military spokesperson rejected the claims, stating, “Pakistan Army has not attacked civilians inside Afghanistan. Whenever Pakistan conducts an operation, it announces it.”
He reiterated that Pakistan does not target civilians and emphasized that Islamabad does not differentiate between militant factions.
“In our view, there are no good and bad Taliban. There is no distinction between terrorists,” he said. Gen Chaudhry urged the Taliban authorities to act as a responsible state.
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“The Taliban government should make decisions as a state, not as non-state actors,” he remarked, questioning how long Afghanistan’s current administration would remain “interim.”
Ties between Islamabad and Kabul have deteriorated over the Afghan Taliban’s failure to act against the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the core source of tension between the two neighbours.
Pakistan has repeatedly demanded action against TTP sanctuaries inside Afghanistan. Kabul, however, denies allowing militants to operate from its territory.
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Following deadly border clashes in October, the two sides engaged in talks aimed at creating a mechanism to curb cross-border terrorism. A second round of negotiations was held in Istanbul on October 25, but Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the discussions “failed to bring about any workable solution.”
Turkiye and Qatar later mediated to salvage the dialogue, issuing a joint statement on October 31 and calling for further talks in November. However, after the third round of meetings on November 7, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif announced that discussions had effectively stalled and had entered an “indefinite phase.”
In retaliation, the Afghan Taliban suspended trade with Pakistan. Islamabad had already closed border trade soon after the October clashes.
Turkiye later said it would dispatch a high-level delegation to Islamabad to ease tensions, and Pakistan welcomed the “sincere efforts” of Ankara and Doha. The visit, however, has yet to take place amid reported procedural hurdles.
Last week, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said the resumption of trade depended on Kabul ending cross-border terrorism, linking the future of regional energy and connectivity projects to the Afghan Taliban halting support for militant groups.
