Ishaq Dar has said that Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq “in self-defence, carrying out precise and targeted operations against seven terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to the TTP and IS-KP in Afghanistan”.

The deputy prime minister asserted that Pakistan’s “actions were proportionate, minimum and measured, with careful planning in order to make sure that only the terrorist camps and hideouts are hit and civilian populations should not be targeted”.

Dar mentioned there were “provocative actions by the Afghan Taliban on 53 locations across 15 sectors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa” on the night of February 26.

“Now this is horrifying and this is totally lunatic. It’s like going mad,” he remarked, adding that such actions were “totally a no-go for Pakistan”.