Pakistan rejects UK envoy's remarks on border tensions, cites 'one-sided narrative'

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Saturday strongly criticised remarks by the British Special Representative for Afghanistan, Richard Lindsay, terming them “one-sided” and lacking a deeper understanding of the situation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

In a statement, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said the comments—made in response to a post by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan—failed to reflect ground realities and ignored the root causes of tensions in the region.

Lindsay had earlier expressed concern over reported civilian casualties in eastern Afghanistan, including in Kunar, and called for restraint and dialogue to avoid escalation.

Responding to the remarks, Andrabi said cross-border aggression and infiltration attempts from the Afghan side had continued despite Pakistan’s “goodwill gesture” of a temporary pause in operations announced in March.

He added that since the pause, dozens of Pakistani civilians had been killed or injured in attacks attributed to elements linked to the Afghan Taliban, along with what he described as “terrorist proxies.”

The spokesperson said Pakistan had exercised restraint while responding with precision strikes targeting militant positions and infrastructure, and had successfully foiled multiple infiltration attempts.

He also rejected claims of civilian casualties resulting from Pakistan’s actions as lacking credible evidence, asserting that such allegations did not present a balanced or objective picture.

“Unwarranted remarks that do not address the root causes of terrorism fail to provide an accurate assessment of the situation,” Andrabi said, urging greater understanding of regional dynamics and acknowledging Pakistan’s sacrifices in counter-terrorism efforts.

The statement reflects heightened diplomatic tensions over differing narratives surrounding recent cross-border incidents, as calls for restraint and verification continue from international stakeholders.