- FO spokesperson Islamabad values dialogue and a mutually beneficial relationship with Kabul but would ‘safeguard its territory and people’ at all costs
- Rejects Muttaqi’s claim that no terrorist groups remain in Afghanistan, accusing Kabul of harbouring Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan
- Urging Taliban to act responsibly to prevent cross-border terrorism
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday warned that any further acts of aggression from Afghanistan would be met with an “unwavering and befitting response,” a day after deadly border clashes left 23 Pakistani troops martyred and over 200 Taliban and affiliated militants killed.
In a strongly worded statement, the Foreign Office (FO) said Islamabad valued dialogue and a mutually beneficial relationship with Kabul but would “take all possible measures to safeguard its territory and the lives of its people.”
🔊PR No.3️⃣0️⃣6️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣5️⃣
On Afghan Taliban Attacks Against Pakistan
🔗⬇️https://t.co/TzadzY3Crk pic.twitter.com/jfPfY5RSN3
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) October 12, 2025
The statement followed overnight skirmishes between Pakistani and Afghan forces, which began late on Saturday and continued into Sunday morning. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the clashes erupted after “unprovoked aggression” from the Afghan side.
The FO expressed concern over what it described as “unwarranted aggression by the Afghan Taliban, Fitna al Khawarij and Fitna al Hindustan”, warning that such actions would “further destabilize neighborly relations” between the two nations.
It said Pakistan, “exercising its right of self-defense,” had “effectively repulsed the assaults all along the border and inflicted heavy losses on Taliban forces and affiliated kharjis, in terms of men, material, and infrastructure,” which were allegedly being used to “plan and facilitate acts of terror.”
The FO also rejected “assertions and insinuations” by Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who claimed during a visit to India that no terrorist groups existed in Afghanistan and that Pakistan’s issues were internal.
“By making these baseless assertions, the Taliban regime cannot absolve itself of its responsibilities towards regional peace and stability,” the FO said, adding that the “continued presence of terrorist elements on Afghan soil” was well documented in United Nations reports.
Urging Kabul to prevent the use of its territory for terrorism, the FO said Pakistan had “repeatedly shared concerns” over the presence of Fitna al Khawarij (the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan) and Fitna al Hindustan (terror groups operating in Balochistan) inside Afghanistan.
The statement also pointed out that Pakistan continues to host nearly four million Afghan refugees “as a gesture of good neighborliness, Islamic brotherhood, and humanity” but will “take all actions necessary to regulate their presence” under international law.
“Pakistan is desirous of a peaceful, stable, friendly, regionally connected, and prosperous Afghanistan,” the statement concluded. “We expect the Taliban regime to act responsibly, honour its commitments, and play a constructive role in achieving the shared objective of rooting out terrorism from its soil.”
