DG ISPR rejects Taliban claims of Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, has rejected the Afghan Taliban’s claims that Pakistan carried out airstrikes on Afghan territory, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

Afghanistan’s Taliban administration said on Tuesday that nine children and a woman were killed in Pakistani air strikes in Khost, Kunar and Paktika provinces.

Speaking to senior journalists in Islamabad, the DG ISPR categorically denied the allegations, stating that Pakistan had conducted no operation inside Afghanistan last night. He added that whenever Pakistan carries out an operation, it announces it officially.

Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif urged the Afghan regime to take verifiable action against terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan, stressing that dialogue would not be possible until such action is taken.

He highlighted that cross-border support for terrorism remains the biggest issue, adding that Pakistan’s dispute is with the Afghan interim government, not with the people of Afghanistan.

The DG ISPR also emphasized the need to dismantle the nexus of smuggling and political crime along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. He noted that some foreign-based social media accounts are spreading anti-state narratives.

He reiterated that Pakistan must “put its own house in order” to fight a coordinated war against terrorism. The Pakistani nation and its armed forces, he said, remain united against terrorists, and the pursuit of terrorists will continue “until the last breath.”

Responding to a question about the court martial of former ISI chief Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed, the DG ISPR said the proceedings are a legal and judicial process, and urged people to avoid speculation.

He stated that once the legal process concludes and a verdict is announced, the ISPR will provide details.