Pakistan warns Afghanistan of ‘befitting response’ after deadly border attacks

Pakistan warned the Afghan Taliban on Sunday night that any further provocations along the border would be met with a “befitting response,” as Islamabad accused Kabul of carrying out unprovoked attacks and harboring militants responsible for cross-border terrorism.

In a strongly worded statement, the Foreign Office said Pakistan “deeply regrets the unwarranted aggression by the Afghan Taliban, Fitna-e-Khawarij, and Fitna-e-Hindustan along the Pak-Afghan border on the night of Oct. 11–12.”

“Such unprovoked actions aimed at destabilizing the border belie the overall spirit of peaceful neighborhood and cooperative relations between the two brotherly countries,” the statement read.

It added that Pakistan, “exercising its right of self-defense, effectively repulsed the assaults all along the border, inflicting heavy losses on Taliban forces and affiliated Khawarij in terms of men, material and infrastructure.”

The Foreign Office said Pakistan “greatly values dialogue and diplomacy” but would take “all possible measures to safeguard its territory and the lives of its people.”

“Any further provocations would be met with an unwavering and befitting response,” it warned.

The statement came a day after Pakistan’s military reported that 23 of its soldiers were killed and 29 wounded in overnight attacks by Afghan Taliban fighters on multiple border posts. The army said it responded with heavy strikes, destroying Taliban positions and killing more than 200 militants.

State broadcaster PTV News earlier said Pakistani forces had captured 19 Afghan border posts from where attacks were launched, calling it a “major success.”

Tensions between the two countries have been rising amid Islamabad’s repeated accusations that the Taliban regime allows the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to operate freely from Afghan soil.

The Foreign Office also rejected remarks made by the Taliban foreign minister during his visit to India, calling them “baseless assertions” meant to deflect attention from Afghanistan’s failure to act against militants.

“By making these baseless assertions, the Taliban regime cannot absolve itself of its responsibilities towards regional peace and stability,” it said. “Continued presence of terrorist elements on Afghan soil and the freedom of activities enjoyed by them in Afghanistan are well documented in UN Monitoring Team reports.”

Islamabad said it expects “concrete and verifiable actions” by the Taliban against the TTP and other groups threatening Pakistan’s security.

The statement also noted that Pakistan has hosted around four million Afghans for more than four decades “in the spirit of good neighborliness, Islamic brotherhood, and humanity,” but said it would “take all actions to regulate the presence of Afghan nationals” in line with international laws.

Reaffirming its commitment to regional stability, Pakistan said it remains “desirous of a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Afghanistan,” and urged the Taliban to “act responsibly, honor its commitments, and play a constructive role in rooting out terrorism from its soil."