ISLAMABAD (MNN); The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Saturday rejected claims made by the Afghan Taliban about capturing a Pakistani military post, describing the statement as false propaganda aimed at misleading public opinion within Afghanistan.
In a statement shared on the social media platform X, the ministry’s fact-checking account posted a screenshot of a claim issued by the Afghan Taliban’s defence ministry. The Taliban statement alleged that their fighters had captured a Pakistani military outpost and that fourteen Pakistani soldiers were martyred during the incident.
Responding to the claim, the Pakistani ministry categorically denied the report and said the statement issued by the so-called defence ministry of the Afghan Taliban regime was fabricated. It stated that such allegations were routinely made to influence and mislead the Afghan public, who themselves were suffering under what it termed terror sponsors.
The ministry further said that the damages and losses suffered by the Afghan Taliban and their allied groups, including what Pakistan refers to as Fitna al Khawarij, were being regularly documented and updated. The term Fitna al Khawarij is used by the Pakistani state for militants belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
According to the ministry, whenever applicable, video and photographic evidence of counterterrorism operations is shared with the media to maintain transparency. It emphasized that the government was taking great care to provide credible and timely information regarding ongoing targeted operations against terrorists and their support infrastructure operating inside areas under the control of the Afghan Taliban.
The statement added that apart from amplification by militant groups and certain Indian media and social media networks, there had been no credible or verifiable evidence supporting the Taliban’s repeated claims. The ministry maintained that such allegations had consistently collapsed when subjected to fact-checking.
Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar also dismissed the Taliban’s statement, saying another false claim by the Afghan Taliban regime had been exposed. In his post on X, he stated that the allegations lacked any factual basis and reiterated that Pakistan regularly publishes irrefutable pictorial and video evidence showing losses inflicted on Afghan Taliban-linked groups and Fitna al Khawarij.
Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima also criticized the claims, saying propaganda could not protect terror networks. She said Taliban narratives collapse when confronted with facts and reaffirmed that Pakistan’s operations against Fitna al Khawarij were focused, continuous and decisive, adding that terrorist sanctuaries would not survive.
Prime Minister’s spokesperson for foreign media Mosharraf Zaidi also reacted to the Taliban claims. He said the Afghan Taliban appeared more focused on spreading fabricated stories than eliminating militant organizations such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, the Balochistan Liberation Army and other groups allegedly operating from Afghan territory.
Zaidi said propaganda would not force Pakistan to halt its counterterrorism operations and stressed that the only way to end tensions was to stop terrorist activities originating from Afghan soil against Pakistan.
Pakistan has witnessed a renewed wave of militant attacks since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban government to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan, particularly those linked to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, but Pakistani officials say those appeals have largely gone unanswered.
Last month, Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil Haq after what it described as unprovoked firing by Afghan Taliban forces across the border. Earlier this week, the government also confirmed that overnight air strikes were carried out against terrorist positions and support facilities in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia.
