At a media briefing held on the heels of viral claims by Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman for the Taliban government in Afghanistan, about overnight strikes in his backyard, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has categorically stated, “Whenever we carry out an operation, we announce it openly. In October, when we struck inside Afghanistan, we informed everyone.”
That reaffirmation of Pakistan’s posture regarding civilian targeting substantially punctures the balloon of alleged strikes killing nine children and a woman in Khost, Kunar and Paktika. The absence of coordinates, independent observers, and named victims on Kabul’s side raises serious doubts about the veracity of the claim.
This region in question (the Khost-Bermal corridor) has long been known as a conduit for militant activity. Documented links connect the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters to Afghan soil and to logistical networks tied to the Taliban regime in Kabul, as a UN monitoring team pointed to an estimated strength of some six thousand fighters in the area. Time and again, Islamabad has urged its neighbour to act against the TTP and its well-known attacks on civilians, but the status quo persists. In recent weeks, Pakistan has suffered a wave of attacks, including a suicide blast at the paramilitary headquarters in Peshawar and another in Islamabad, both traced to Afghan nationals.
It is not enough for Kabul to issue dramatic accusations wrapped in images of devastation, especially when such images in previous cases have been flagged as recycled from other conflict zones. The underlying pattern shows how the Afghan government externalises responsibility for explosions within its territory by assigning blame elsewhere rather than acknowledging insurgent infighting or accidental detonations. Afghan news outlets, under the aegis of the Taliban regime, have repeatedly amplified unverified charges against Pakistan in a manner that mirrors the grievance narrative advanced at the state level.
Meanwhile, the immediacy of our policy challenge cannot be stressed enough. A state under repeated attack must defend its citizens all the while restraining the temptation to be drawn into a propaganda war. Islamabad has consistently pursued diplomacy, including talks brokered by Turkey and Qatar after October’s border clashes, which produced a tentative cease-fire.
However, the unrelenting militant attacks have made it necessary for Pakistan to draw a hard line on no further engagement until verifiable action from Kabul.
The way forward is plain yet unpalatable for the Taliban regime. They would have to dismantle the TTP and affiliated safe havens and engage transparently with Pakistan in a joint verification mechanism for any future cross-border incident in order to be taken seriously as a moderate, peace-loving entity. Pakistan’s restraint must not be mistaken for weakness. *
