Pakistan rejects Taliban claims of civilian casualties in counterterrorism operations

Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Monday rejected as “baseless and unsubstantiated” allegations by Afghanistan’s Taliban government that Pakistani counterterrorism operations had killed or injured Afghan civilians.

The allegations were made by Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi, who claimed in an interview with CNN that 1,119 Afghan civilians had been killed or injured in Pakistani military strikes in Afghanistan since late 2021, according to Afghan media reports.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Foreign Office said disinformation and misleading narratives would neither obscure the threat from terrorist networks operating from Afghan territory nor absolve the Taliban regime of its responsibility to prevent Afghan soil being used to plan and launch attacks against Pakistan.

The statement said attacks emanating from Afghan territory had caused more than 3,500 casualties in Pakistan in 2026 alone, and that the Taliban regime continued to shelter groups including the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

Pakistan said its response was undertaken in exercise of its right to self-defence and as a last resort, was proportionate to the threat, and adhered to the principles of distinction and precaution, targeting only terrorists and their logistical support bases.

The Foreign Office called on the international community to hold the Taliban authorities accountable for preventing Afghan territory being used for attacks against Pakistan.

Sources: Dawn · Geo News · Business Recorder · UrduPoint