Pakistan rejects India's 'unwarranted' statement on action against terrorist infrastructure in Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Foreign Office (FO) on Wednesday dismissed what it termed a "baseless, misleading, and unwarranted statement" issued by India's Ministry of External Affairs regarding Islamabad's ongoing military action against terrorist infrastructure in Afghanistan.

The rejection came in the wake of targeted overnight airstrikes carried out in Kabul and Nangarhar as part of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq. A day prior, Pakistan had maintained that it struck 'Camp Phoenix' — a former United States military base that it says is currently being used by Afghan Taliban forces. Afghanistan, however, disputed the claim, asserting that a drug rehabilitation centre had been bombed instead.

India condemns Pakistan's actions

Following the airstrikes, India's Ministry of External Affairs condemned Pakistan's military operations, describing them as a "direct threat" to regional peace and stability.

Pakistan's response

In a statement issued on Wednesday, FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi pushed back firmly against New Delhi's remarks.

"Pakistan rejects the baseless, misleading, and unwarranted statement issued by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs on Pakistan's ongoing action against terrorist infrastructure in Afghanistan."

Andrabi's statement referenced the backdrop of Pakistan's continued counter-terrorism operations, which have been a central element of the country's security strategy in recent months. The spokesperson made clear that Pakistan views India's commentary on the matter as interference and devoid of factual basis.

Competing narratives over airstrikes

The exchange between Islamabad and New Delhi adds another layer of diplomatic complexity to an already contested military operation. Pakistan and Afghanistan have offered starkly different accounts of what was targeted during the strikes. While Islamabad insists the operation hit a former American military installation now repurposed by the Afghan Taliban, Kabul has countered that the bombing struck a facility dedicated to drug rehabilitation.

The diplomatic row between Pakistan and India over the Afghan strikes underscores the broader tensions that have long characterised relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, with both sides frequently trading accusations over terrorism-related issues.

Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, under which the airstrikes were conducted, represents Pakistan's latest military campaign targeting what it describes as terrorist networks operating from Afghan soil. The operation has drawn international attention and sparked reactions from multiple regional stakeholders, including India.

Pakistan's Foreign Office has consistently maintained that its actions are directed solely at neutralising terrorist threats emanating from across the border, and Wednesday's statement rejecting India's position was the latest in a series of diplomatic responses issued by Islamabad since the operation began.