Islamabad on Sunday rejected the Afghan Taliban regime’s allegation of weapons being smuggled from Pakistan into Afghanistan for “subversive activities,” dubbing the claims “frivolous, baseless and contrary to established facts.”
Earlier, the Afghan Defense Ministry had alleged to have discovered and seized “dozens of tons of light and heavy weapons” allegedly “smuggled from Pakistan.” Responding to the allegations, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said Afghanistan was already awash with enormous quantities of sophisticated weapons and military equipment abandoned following the withdrawal of U.S. and coalition forces in 2021.
In a statement, it emphasized the weapons and equipment left behind were estimated to be worth $7.2 billion, adding Afghanistan also had large stocks of Soviet-era weaponry accumulated over decades of conflict.
The ministry said attempts to establish a Pakistani connection to the weapons appeared designed to divert international attention from a more serious and documented concern. It said terrorist groups continued to find space, facilitation and operational freedom on Afghan soil to plan, support and carry out attacks inside Pakistan.
The statement stressed that rather than resorting to implausible accusations and blame-shifting, the Afghan Taliban authorities must address the presence of terrorist sanctuaries on their territory. It also called on the Afghan Taliban to honor their repeated commitments that Afghan soil would not be used for terrorism against Pakistan or any other country.
Since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in August 2021, Pakistan has been in midst of a terror resurgence, particularly in border regions of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Islamabad has repeatedly urged Kabul to deny the use of its soil for terrorist attacks inside its territory.
The interim Afghan Taliban government, however, insists the terrorism is an “internal” matter of Pakistan and has refused to act against the terrorist groups. In February, after several border clashes, Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab-lil-Haq, targeting terrorist sanctuaries within Afghanistan. Both sides have continued to engage in talks, but have thus far failed to reach any agreement.