ISLAMABAD:
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan flared again on Thursday after Kabul summoned Pakistan’s ambassador to lodge a strong protest over what the Taliban authorities described as cross-border military strikes in Nangarhar and Khost provinces.
According to Afghan officials, the strikes late Wednesday night killed three civilians and injured seven others. In a formal protest note, the Afghan foreign ministry accused Pakistan of violating Afghan airspace and bombing civilian areas along the Durand Line. The ministry termed the strikes “a blatant breach of Afghanistan’s territorial integrity” and warned that such “provocative actions” would have consequences.
The Taliban government reiterated that safeguarding Afghanistan’s sovereignty was a red line. “Such irresponsible actions will inevitably lead to consequences,” the foreign ministry statement read.
So far, Pakistan has not issued any public response to either the reported strikes or the summoning of its envoy in Kabul.
Local officials in Nangarhar claimed two drone strikes hit a house in Shinwar district. The province’s deputy governor, Maulvi Azizullah Mustafa, said the Afghan government remained committed to peace, stability, and maintaining neutral relations with its neighbors, but warned that such incidents could destabilize the region.
The episode comes at a time of renewed friction between Islamabad and Kabul over cross-border militancy. Pakistan has long maintained that the Afghan Taliban allow the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to operate from Afghan territory, a charge Kabul denies. Islamabad, meanwhile, insists its cross-border operations only target militant hideouts in response to rising terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.
Earlier this year, relations worsened when Pakistan temporarily shut down key border crossings after a spike in militant activity. Kabul retaliated with new restrictions on trade and movement, underscoring the fragility of ties despite attempts to repair relations.
Recent diplomatic engagements have also failed to ease tensions. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar visited Kabul earlier this month for a trilateral meeting with his Afghan and Chinese counterparts. In bilateral talks with interim foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, Dar expressed strong concern over the continued presence of TTP sanctuaries on Afghan soil.
Muttaqi had been scheduled to visit Islamabad but the trip was cancelled after the UN Security Council declined to approve his travel exemptions due to objections from the United States. Though both sides had been working to reschedule, the latest flare-up now casts doubt on whether the visit will take place anytime soon.
