Islamabad – Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed strong concern over the unprovoked cross-border aggression by the Afghan Taliban on the night of October 11 and 12, describing the incident as a destabilizing act for regional peace and security.
In a sharp departure from its earlier diplomatic tone, the new statement released on Sunday notably referred to Kabul as the “Taliban regime” instead of the “interim government”, a subtle but significant downgrade in diplomatic language that reflects Islamabad’s mounting frustration.
According to the Foreign Office, Pakistan exercised its right to self-defense, successfully repelling the attacks and targeting terrorist infrastructure used for coordinated assaults inside Pakistan. The statement added that these strikes specifically targeted networks plotting organized attacks from Afghan soil.
Observers say the language marks a strategic shift, from “brotherly counsel” to a full-spectrum response encompassing theological, military, and diplomatic dimensions. Islamabad’s patience appears to have worn thin after repeated border violations, with the new statement explicitly naming the Taliban, citing United Nations reports confirming terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan, and even invoking faith-based labels such as Fitna-e-Khawarij (for TTP) and Fitna-e-Hindustan (for Indian interference).
The ministry also rejected remarks made by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi during his recent press conference in New Delhi, calling them an attempt to divert attention from the continued presence of terrorist groups on Afghan soil. Pakistan urged Kabul to fulfil its obligations and ensure that its territory is not used against neighboring countries, emphasizing that the Taliban must take practical action against militant factions operating from within Afghanistan.
In a striking conclusion, the statement expressed hope that “one day, the Afghan people would be emancipated and governed by a true representative government.” Analysts interpret this as the first open questioning of the Taliban’s political legitimacy by Pakistan since August 2021, a diplomatic knockout punch that subtly implies the current rulers are neither representative nor emancipatory.
After years of restraint, Islamabad appears to have shifted its Afghan file from “neighbour management” to “threat containment.” The message to Kabul is clear: stop exporting chaos or face firm retaliation.
