ISLAMABAD: Islamabad has categorically rejected allegations by former US diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad that it is arming Afghans to fight the Taliban regime and recruiting Afghan nationals to combat anti-Pakistan insurgents, terming the claims baseless and misleading.
Khalilzad claimed there had been reports of Pakistan arming Afghans to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan, as well as reports that the Pakistani military was recruiting Afghans to fight anti-Pakistan insurgents.
He also said that relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan were likely to deteriorate further under the prevailing circumstances.
In a fact-check released on X, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said Khalilzad’s assertions recycled speculative narratives and reflected a personal agenda that sought to bolster the Afghan Taliban regime, which it accused of supporting terrorism.
The ministry said it was particularly misleading to conflate Pakistan’s legitimate counter-terrorism operations against terrorist organisations operating from areas controlled by the Afghan Taliban regime with allegations that Islamabad was recruiting Afghan nationals or sponsoring armed groups inside Afghanistan.
It said Pakistan remained at the forefront of the fight against terrorism and had made enormous sacrifices to protect regional peace and security.
The statement also referred to successive United Nations monitoring reports documenting the continued presence and activities of terrorist organisations, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Al-Qaeda, inside Afghanistan.
According to the ministry, Khalilzad’s allegations diverted attention from Afghan Taliban regime’s responsibility to prevent its territory from being used by India-sponsored proxies to carry out terrorist attacks against Pakistan.
The ministry further criticised Khalilzad for advancing what it called unsubstantiated allegations based on a skewed and agenda-driven view.
It may be noted that Pakistan has been affected by terrorism and witnessed a surge in terror activities, particularly in its KP and Balochistan provinces, since 2021, when the Afghan Taliban came into power.
Islamabad has consistently maintained that India supports militant groups operating from Afghan territory to carry out attacks inside Pakistan.
It has also repeatedly called on the Afghan Taliban-led administration to take effective action against terrorist organisations using Afghan soil to launch cross-border attacks.
