Pakistan rejects Afghan Taliban claims on civilian casualties

Pakistan on Monday categorically rejected what it called baseless and unsubstantiated allegations about civilian casualties attributed to its counter-terrorism operations. The position was set out in a statement by the Foreign Office spokesperson, issued in Islamabad on October 26.

The spokesperson said disinformation and misleading narratives would neither hide the threat posed by terrorist networks operating from Afghan territory nor relieve the Afghan Taliban regime of its responsibility. That responsibility, the statement said, is to prevent Afghan soil from being used to plan and launch attacks against Pakistan.

According to the Foreign Office, these attacks have caused more than 3,500 casualties in 2026 alone. It added that thousands of Pakistani civilians have been martyred in terrorist attacks that it said were planned, financed, supported and carried out from Afghan soil, under the watch, patronage and active facilitation of the Taliban regime.

The statement said relevant UN mechanisms, including the Monitoring Team, have regularly reported that the Taliban regime shelters a large number of terrorist organisations with impunity. It named the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which it calls Fitna al Khawarij, and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which it calls Fitna al Hindustan, along with their affiliates. It said the international community has expressed serious concern over this.

The Foreign Office said no responsible state can remain passive when its civilians and security forces are repeatedly targeted. It said any Pakistani action in response was taken in exercise of the right to self-defence, under principles of necessity and as a last resort, and was directed only and exclusively against terrorists and their logistical support bases in Afghanistan.

It described Pakistan's response as proportionate to the level of the threat and said it strictly followed the principles of distinction and precaution. The scale and scope of the action, it said, reflected restraint given the severity and frequency of attacks faced by Pakistan. Pakistan rejects any insinuations otherwise, the statement said.

Pakistan urged the international community to hold the Taliban regime accountable for failing to meet its obligations under relevant UN Security Council resolutions and other commitments. The spokesperson added that Pakistan reserves the right to take all necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty, territorial integrity and the safety and security of its nationals.