Pakistan rejects Afghan Taliban claim of violating ceasefire pause

Pakistan’s information ministry rejected on Friday the Afghan Taliban’s claim that Islamabad had violated a temporary pause in fighting along the western border, calling the allegation “frivolous.”

In a statement, the ministry said the claim by the so-called Ministry of Defense spokesperson of the Taliban regime was false and that no violation of the temporary pause had taken place.

“The claim ... that Pakistan has violated the temporary pause, initiated itself by Pakistan in view of Eid al-Fitr, is frivolous,” the statement said. It added that all such claims were “absolutely false.”

The ministry suggested the allegation could be “propaganda” initiated by detractors within the Taliban regime to create a false pretext for terrorism or other action directed against Pakistan.

It said Pakistan had already declared that any act of terrorism, cross-border attack or drone attack by the Afghan Taliban regime or its proxies would lead to the immediate termination of the temporary pause.

In such a case, the statement said, Operation Ghazab lil-Haq would resume “forthwith” with renewed intensity.

Operation Ghazab lil-Haq was launched on the night of Feb. 26 following what Pakistan described as unprovoked firing by the Afghan Taliban from across the border.

On Wednesday, Islamabad announced a five-day temporary pause in the ongoing operation in view of Eidul Fitr and at the request of what it called brotherly Islamic countries.

Hours later, authorities in Kabul declared a temporary suspension of their military operations against Pakistan.

Statements from both sides cited de-escalation requests from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey as factors behind the decision to pause hostilities.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar had earlier warned that any cross-border attack, drone strike or terrorist incident inside Pakistan would result in the immediate resumption of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq with renewed intensity.

The temporary pause came amid heightened tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, a region that has seen periodic clashes between the two sides.