Pakistan rejects Afghan Taliban claim of weapons smuggling

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has rejected the Afghan Taliban regime’s claim that weapons are being smuggled from Pakistan into Afghanistan for “subversive activities”, terming the allegation frivolous, baseless and contrary to established facts.

In a statement, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said Afghanistan was already awash with large quantities of sophisticated weapons and military equipment left behind following the withdrawal of US and coalition forces.

The ministry said the weapons and equipment abandoned in Afghanistan were estimated to be worth around $7.2 billion, while the country also possessed substantial stocks of Soviet-era weaponry accumulated over decades of conflict.

The statement came hours after the Afghan Defence Ministry claimed to have discovered and seized “dozens of tons of light and heavy weapons” allegedly smuggled from Pakistan.

Rejecting the allegation, Islamabad said attempts to establish a Pakistani connection to the weapons appeared aimed at diverting international attention from a more serious and documented concern — the continued presence of terrorist groups on Afghan soil.

Pakistan maintained that terrorist organisations continued to find space, facilitation and operational freedom in Afghanistan to plan, support and carry out attacks inside Pakistan.

The government urged the Afghan Taliban authorities to address the presence of terrorist sanctuaries on their territory instead of resorting to what it described as implausible accusations and blame-shifting.

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Islamabad also called on the Afghan Taliban to honour their repeated commitments that Afghan soil would not be used for terrorism against Pakistan or any other country.

Pakistan has witnessed a sharp increase in cross-border terrorist incidents, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021.

Islamabad has repeatedly urged Kabul to prevent its territory from being used by militant organisations to launch attacks inside Pakistan. However, Pakistan maintains that the Afghan Taliban regime has failed to take effective action against groups allegedly involved in attacks targeting Pakistani security forces and civilians.

Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab-lil-Haq in February this year, months after the two countries agreed to a ceasefire in October 2025 following clashes triggered by what Islamabad described as unprovoked gunfire by the Afghan Taliban regime at multiple border points.

Despite several rounds of talks, Pakistan and Afghanistan have so far failed to reach a lasting understanding, with Islamabad maintaining that Kabul’s reluctance to act against terrorist organisations operating from Afghan territory remains a major obstacle to resolving bilateral security tensions.