ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday rejected remarks by the United Kingdom’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, terming them “one-sided” and lacking a proper understanding of the ground realities along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border.
“We have seen the social media post by the British SRA regarding developments along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border. The one-sided remarks are devoid of a deeper understanding of the situation along the border,” Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said.
Responding to media queries, spokesperson Andrabi said cross-border aggression and terrorist infiltration attempts from the Afghan side had continued despite Pakistan’s goodwill gesture of a temporary pause in counter-terrorism operations announced in March 2026.
Since the temporary ceasefire, “indiscriminate and unprovoked cross-border attacks by the Afghan Taliban, and terrorist activities by Afghan Taliban-supported Indian proxies inside Pakistan, have resulted in the shahadat of fifty-two civilians and eighty-four injuries,” Andrabi said.
The spokesperson said that recent attacks and terrorist activity had led to civilian casualties and injuries within Pakistan, prompting “measured and precise” responses targeting terrorist infrastructure.
Andrabi said that while exercising restraint, Pakistan has responded effectively by precisely targeting Afghan Taliban posts and terrorist support infrastructure.
He said that Pakistan security forces also thwarted multiple infiltration attempts from the Afghan side. “Afghan claims of civilian casualties due to Pakistan’s responses lack evidential credibility,” the spokesperson added.
“Such unwarranted remarks, without linking them to the root cause of terrorism, do not offer a balanced and objective perspective,” Andrabi maintained.
The spokesperson urged a better understanding of regional dynamics, Pakistan’s principled stance, as well as the unparalleled sacrifices rendered by the people of Pakistan in the fight against terrorism.
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Statement by the Spokesperson
🔗⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Zwsoeh3MiM— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) May 2, 2026
Afghan Taliban target civilians in Pakistan
On Friday, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that at least nine people were killed and 15 others injured after forces of the Afghan interim government shelled civilian areas and villages inside Pakistani territory.
In a post on X, Tarar said the casualties included women and children, alleging that Afghan forces carried out “unprovoked and criminal targeting of civilians” in the northwestern Bajaur tribal district.
He added that 12 people were wounded in Thursday’s incident alone.
The inhuman violent spate of deliberate targeting of innocent civilians by Afghans Taliban regime in border districts of KP is unacceptable, insidious and reflective of their barbaric nature towards human life. Resorting to targeting civilian areas after being comprehensively… pic.twitter.com/1cPd7c6JeI
— Attaullah Tarar (@TararAttaullah) May 1, 2026
On Friday, three civilians playing cricket were injured in what Tarar described as a “blatant and shameless” quadcopter strike carried out by “Fitna Al Khwarij,” a term Islamabad uses for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which it accuses Kabul of backing.
Deliberate targeting of Pakistani civilians
In a post on X, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar strongly condemned what he described as the deliberate targeting of civilians by the Afghan Taliban in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s border districts, calling the attacks “inhuman” and “unacceptable.”
He said at least nine civilians, including women and children, were killed and 12 others injured in Bajaur due to what he termed unprovoked shelling. In comparison, three more civilians were wounded in a separate quadcopter attack allegedly carried out by terrorists linked to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
He said the shelling followed setbacks faced by terrorists against Pakistani security forces and reflected a disregard for human life.
Following a sharp surge in terrorist attacks by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) inside Pakistan, the Pakistani government launched a decisive crackdown, declaring an intensified campaign against terrorism.
Pakistan’s counterterrorism operations
As part of these counterterrorism operations, Pakistan conducted targeted airstrikes against terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan.
Officials said the strikes were aimed at dismantling TTP infrastructure and preventing further cross-border attacks.
Since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021, the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has re-emerged, according to Pakistani security officials.
Authorities say thousands of TTP fighters and their families have since relocated to eastern Afghan provinces, including Khost, Paktika, Paktia, and Kunar, where they are believed to operate with relative freedom.
Pakistani intelligence assessments further allege that some Afghan Taliban commanders have acted as facilitators, assisting TTP fighters in regrouping after carrying out cross-border attacks.
Pakistan officials have reiterated that Pakistan’s campaign against militancy is based on lawful and principled action against armed groups and their backers.
