ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Saturday categorically rejected allegations by former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad that Islamabad is arming Afghan nationals to battle the Taliban.
In a statement released Friday, Khalilzad cited reports suggesting Pakistan was supplying weapons to Afghans fighting the Taliban, while also claiming the Pakistani military was recruiting Afghan nationals to combat anti-Pakistan insurgents. His remarks arrive amid heightened diplomatic friction between Islamabad and Kabul, fueled by a surge in militant attacks inside Pakistan.
Pakistan has consistently accused Afghanistan’s Taliban-led administration of harboring and facilitating militants—specifically the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)—who target Pakistani security forces. Kabul denies these charges, though the dispute has triggered repeated, violent border clashes throughout the year.
“Pakistan categorically rejects the baseless and misleading allegations by Zalmay Khalilzad regarding the arming of former Afghans to fight the Taliban and their supporters,” the Information Ministry stated. The ministry characterized Khalilzad’s assertions as “sweeping baseless assertions” that “merely recycle speculative narratives as part of his personal agenda to prop [up a] terrorism-supporting Taliban regime.”
The statement argued it was misleading to conflate Pakistan’s counterterrorism operations against militants based in Afghanistan with accusations of recruiting Afghan nationals or sponsoring armed groups within the neighboring country. It further noted that multiple United Nations monitoring reports have documented the presence of designated terrorist organizations, including the TTP and Al-Qaeda, operating within Afghanistan.
“Khalilzad’s allegations conveniently divert attention from the Afghan Taliban regime’s responsibility to prevent its territory from being used by Indian-sponsored proxies for terrorism against Pakistan,” the ministry added.
Islamabad has long accused both New Delhi and Kabul of backing the TTP and separatist militants in Balochistan province—allegations both governments deny, urging Pakistan instead to address its security challenges internally.
The security landscape in Pakistan’s western provinces bordering Afghanistan has deteriorated markedly since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. Islamabad maintains that attacks originate from militant sanctuaries in Afghanistan and has pressed Kabul to take concrete action against these groups. Tensions have escalated to the point of Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghan territory, prompting fierce retaliatory clashes with Afghan forces.