Information ministry says Afghan soil remains a hub for sophisticated weapons and terrorist groups targeting Pakistan
Pakistan-Afghanistan border at Chaman. PHOTO: FILE
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Sunday rejected the Afghan Taliban government’s claim that weapons were being smuggled from Pakistan into Afghanistan for “subversive activities”, calling the allegation “frivolous, baseless and contrary to established facts”.
In a statement posted on X, the ministry said Afghanistan was already “awash with enormous quantities of sophisticated weapons and military equipment” left behind following the withdrawal of US and coalition forces.
It said the abandoned equipment was worth an estimated $7.2 billion and was in addition to “large stocks of Soviet-era weaponry accumulated over decades of conflict”.
The ministry said attempts to establish a Pakistani connection to such weapons appeared designed to “divert international attention” from a “far more serious and documented concern” — that terrorist groups continued to operate from Afghan soil.
“Terrorist groups continue to find space, facilitation and operational freedom on Afghan soil to plan, support and execute attacks inside Pakistan,” it added.
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Rather than resorting to “implausible accusations and blame-shifting”, the ministry said Afghan Taliban authorities should address the presence of “terrorist sanctuaries” on their territory.
It further stated that the authorities also needed to fulfil their “repeated commitments” that Afghan soil would not be allowed to be used for terrorism against Pakistan or any other country.
Pakistan has repeatedly pointed to an Afghanistan–India nexus behind terrorism in the country.
In November 2024, Inter-Services Public Relations Director-General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry had issued a warning that the Afghan regime was a threat not just to Pakistan but to the entire region and the world, citing the abandonment of $7.2 billion worth of American military equipment during the US withdrawal.
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Lt Gen Chaudhry reiterated that the Afghan regime was harbouring “Non-State Actors” who posed a threat to various countries in the region, noting the Taliban’s failure to establish an inclusive state and government post-2021. He stressed that Pakistan’s issue was with the Afghan Taliban regime, not the Afghan people.
After the conflict with India in May 2025, Field Marshal Asim Munir had said that Pakistan would never be coerced, and that all inimical designs to derail the country’s counterterrorism efforts would be “comprehensively defeated”.
He had said Pakistan’s military remained prepared to respond across the full spectrum of conflict. He particularly criticised India’s growing tendency to resort to unprovoked military aggression, cautioning that strategic stability in South Asia was increasingly fragile and hinged on justice, especially in Kashmir.
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In 2023, a UN report also revealed that the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had established a new base in K-P in mid-2023. The report shed light on close ties not only between the TTP and the Afghan Taliban but also with anti-Pakistani groups and al Qaeda.
The report further revealed that some Taliban members had also joined the TTP, perceiving it as a religious obligation to provide support.
Interlocutors reported that TTP members and their families received regular aid packages from the Taliban.
Importantly, the UN report noted a significant increase in Afghan nationals in the TTP ranks. This supported Pakistan’s stance that a growing number of Afghan nationals were involved in suicide attacks in the country.
