Islamabad – Pakistan has rejected as propaganda the Taliban regime’s attempt to link Islamabad’s recent precision strikes in Afghanistan to Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to India. Officials said the strikes were conducted solely in response to cross-border terror attacks originating from Afghan soil, which, since 2021, has become a launchpad for the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

Officials clarified that Pakistan’s counterterror actions were “specifically targeted against militant build-ups” operating from Afghan territory and had “no connection to diplomatic events or regional optics.” They added that linking these operations to diplomatic engagements was a “propaganda attempt by the Taliban regime to mask its complicity in cross-border terrorism.”

“As a sovereign country, Afghanistan is free to maintain ties with any state, including India,” Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on October 29. “But if they have handed over their reins to Delhi, then this will be difficult,” he warned, adding that “Kabul was not sincere at any level for any arrangement. On the directives of India and by becoming its proxy, Fitna al-Hindustan wants to leverage its position over Pakistan through Afghanistan.”

India’s Shadow in Kabul

Diplomatic observers have noted that Muttaqi’s India visit coincided with the Taliban’s cross-border offensives, raising suspicions of coordination. Analysts argue that the timing reflects India’s longstanding strategy of exploiting Afghan territory to destabilise Pakistan.

For decades, Indian intelligence networks have used Afghanistan as a base to fund and sustain TTP and BLA operations targeting Pakistan’s western front.

Collapsed Istanbul Talks

Speaking to reporters at Parliament House, Asif said Pakistan had “sincerely engaged in peace talks” with Afghan Taliban regime representatives during the Istanbul dialogue, but the process collapsed due to Kabul’s unwillingness to formalise commitments.

“Again and again, whenever something was finalised and an agreement was drafted, this happened three or four times, they contacted Kabul and a ‘no’ came from there, because of which we could not reach an agreement,” Asif explained.

He said the Afghan side acknowledged that the TTP used Afghan soil to launch attacks against Pakistan but refused to provide written assurances. “They were agreeing with everything but were not ready to give it in writing,” he noted, adding that even mediators Qatar and Türkiye had recognised the “futoor (infirmity)” in Kabul’s intentions.

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Strikes Triggered by Orakzai Terror Attack

Pakistan’s recent counterterror strikes were triggered by the October 7–8, 2025, TTP attack in Orakzai District that took the lives of 11 security personnel, including a Lieutenant Colonel and a Major. In response, Pakistan launched precision airstrikes on October 9, targeting terrorist camps inside Afghanistan responsible for orchestrating the assault.

Officials reiterated that these operations were conducted under the country’s inherent right to self-defence, as recognised by Article 51 of the United Nation Charter, and aimed at dismantling terrorist infrastructure threatening Pakistan’s security.

Escalation Along the Border

Following the strikes, Taliban forces initiated a series of cross-border offensives that violated established norms of neighbourly conduct. On the night of October 10–11, Afghan troops launched coordinated attacks along the border, stretching from Kunar to Bahramcha. The next night, Taliban fighters assaulted Pakistani positions opposite Spin Boldak in Chaman, prompting a swift and proportionate response that killed more than 15 attackers.

On October 17, a quadcopter drone attack originating from Afghan soil targeted a Pakistani security post in Bajaur District, claiming the life of Sepoy Moeinullah and injuring another soldier, even as peace talks were ongoing in Doha.

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Elimination of Key Militant Commanders

In retaliation, Pakistan carried out another round of intelligence-based airstrikes on October 18, targeting Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group (HGB) hideouts in Khost and Paktika provinces. According to security sources, between 40 and 50 terrorists were killed, including senior commanders involved in recent suicide attacks.

Those eliminated included Commanders Farman alias Akrama, Sadiq Ullah Dawar, Ghazi Mada Khel, Muqarrab, Qismat Ullah, Gulap alias Dewana, Rahmani, Adil, Fazlur Rehman (uncle of the HGB leader), Ashiq Ullah alias Kausar, and Younus, confirmed security sources to the reporter of Hindukush Tribune Network (HTN).

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Pakistan’s Record of Engagement and International Context

Islamabad insists it pursued all non-military avenues before resorting to strikes. Since August 2021, Pakistani authorities cite sustained diplomatic engagement with the de facto Afghan administration: four foreign minister visits, two joint visits by the defence minister and DG ISI, five special representative missions, five secretary-level visits, one national security advisor visit, eight Joint Coordination Committee meetings, 225 border-flag meetings, 836 protest notes and 13 demarches.

Despite these efforts, officials say Kabul’s inaction allowed militant sanctuaries to expand. Islamabad also references international monitoring that corroborates its security concerns, maintaining that its operations conform to Article 51 of the UN Charter and were “carefully planned to minimise civilian harm while dismantling militant infrastructure.”

The Choice for Kabul

Asif and senior Pakistani diplomats have framed the dilemma simply: either Afghanistan dismantles the terror infrastructure operating from its soil or it will be held accountable for the instability that follows.

“They were agreeing with everything but were not ready to give it in writing,” the defence minister said of the Istanbul sessions. He warned that if Kabul persisted in what he described as duplicity or inaction, particularly under external influence, then Pakistan would “respond decisively and lawfully.”

Mediators from Qatar and Türkiye remain engaged and have been asked to help verify any commitments. Pakistani officials urged that enduring peace requires verifiable action, not rhetoric. For Islamabad, that means a written, enforceable mechanism to stop cross-border attacks and neutralise sanctuaries used by the TTP, HGB, and allied groups.