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• Afghanistan accuses Islamabad of ‘inflicting civilian casualties in airstrikes’ on eastern provinces
• ISPR chief says armed forces do not attack ‘unannounced’, calls on Afghan regime to ‘act like a state’
• Khawaja Asif says Islamabad has ‘written off’ Taliban; calls them ‘ragtag outfit without code, traditions’
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan signalled it had lost patience with the Afghan Taliban after the military’s spokesperson responded to allegations levelled by Kabul that Islamabad had launched airstrikes into Afghanistan, killing several.
On Tuesday, the Taliban government accused Pakistan of conducting airstrikes in Khost, Kunar, and Paktika provinces — a claim denied by Pakistan defence minister as well.
The strikes reportedly came the same day a deadly suicide attack on the Federal Constabulary headquarters saw three personnel martyred.
However, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) chief Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, categorically said the Pakistan Army had not attacked civilians inside Afghanistan.
According to state broadcaster Pakistan TV, he said: “Whenever Pakistan attacks someone, it announces it”.
“In our view, there are no good and bad Taliban,” he said, adding that there was “no distinction” between terrorists.
“The Taliban government should make decisions as a state, not as non-state actors,” said Lt Gen Chaudhry, and wondered how long the ruling set-up in Afghanistan would remain “interim”.
The alleged attacks shattered the ceasefire that was in place following an escalation between the neighbours last month. Pakistan has consistently asked Afghanistan to abide by the Doha accord and not allow its soil to be used by terrorists.
However, Islamabad maintains that the wave of terrorism currently plaguing the country is rooted in Afghanistan, which is used by terror groups as a recruitment ground and launch pad for their attacks. In October, Pakistan said its patience snapped after a surge in terror attacks. Both sides exchanged fire, resulting in the deaths of at least 23 Pakistan soldiers.
Although a ceasefire brought an end to hostilities, negotiations in Istanbul broke down after Kabul said it cannot be expected to guarantee security in Pakistan.
Reports by Afghan and international media outlets claimed that at least nine people – including a woman and children – had been killed by Pakistani airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan.
Photos from Khost province showed mourners gathered at funerals, which were said to be of victims of the strikes. However, there was no independent confirmation of this, and it was not clear whether the photos were current or dated.
‘Written off’
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Pakistan was writing off the Afghan Taliban as it had no further positive expectations from the group. “They are the enemies of their own people; they were already the enemies of Pakistan and have now become defined enemies,” he told Geo News on Tuesday.
Talking about Afghan claims of alleged strikes and civilian casualties, the defence minister replied, “Both things are non-existent at this time. We do react and retaliate, but [targeting] civilians is not at all our manner. We have a disciplined force that has traditions and a code of conduct; we are not a ragtag group like the Taliban, who neither have a code of conduct nor religion nor traditions.”
He questioned what the Taliban had managed to achieve in 20 years, apart from re-taking Kabul, and admitted that people still mocked him over his social media post welcoming them at the time. “But you know, hope should always be present unless all limits are crossed. But today, we are completely writing them off and we have no good hope from them.”
Asked when Pakistan would retaliate, Mr Asif said Pakistan’s well-wishers such as Turkiye, Iran, and Qatar wanted regional peace since everyone would benefit from it, and opportunities for employment would open up for all, including the Afghan people.
He said the Afghan Taliban were more than welcome to pursue and open up trade with India through whichever route they wanted, as Pakistan did not care for it. “All these goods are ultimately sold in our market.”
Pushed for a response on the Taliban’s threat, the defence minister said it was meaningless to take them seriously. “There will be no greater idiocy than trusting them,” he said.
Mr Asif maintained that Pakistan had pursued cordial relations with frequent visits to Afghanistan, but “I don’t think we have gained any dividends or successes or changes in their behaviour from these visits; there has been no change in their attitude.”
Faiz’s court-martial
In his remarks, the military spokesperson also addressed rumours surrounding the court martial of former intelligence chief Faiz Hameed.
“The trial is a legal matter; there should be no speculation about it. There will be an immediate announcement when the matter reaches its final conclusion,” he was quoted by state-run Pakistan TV as saying.
Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2025
