Pakistan rejects Taliban allegations over Badakhshan violence

Pakistan has rejected allegations by the Afghan Taliban that Pakistani forces were involved in or supported armed opposition groups

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has rejected allegations by the Afghan Taliban that Pakistani forces were involved in or supported armed opposition groups during violence in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province.

The Ministry of Information dismissed the allegations as baseless and said no credible evidence had been presented to support the claims.

The ministry issued the response after Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid alleged in an interview with Aamaj News that Pakistani authorities were physically involved in the unrest in Badakhshan.

Pakistan strongly rejected the assertion and said the claim did not reflect the facts on the ground.

According to the Ministry of Information, the situation in Badakhshan is linked to Afghanistan’s own internal security and governance challenges. It maintained that there was no evidence establishing Pakistani involvement in the violence.

The ministry said independent reports had described the clashes as an armed conflict involving opposition to what it called the Taliban’s non-inclusive and oppressive rule. It added that such reporting had not established any Pakistani role in the fighting.

Pakistan also reiterated its stated position that it wants peace and stability in Afghanistan. The ministry said Islamabad had no interest in destabilising its neighbouring country.

It urged the Afghan Taliban authorities to focus on addressing the challenges emerging from their own governance rather than attributing Afghanistan’s internal problems to Pakistan.

The ministry stressed that allegations unsupported by evidence could not replace established facts.

Pakistan has repeatedly called for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan and has maintained that instability inside the neighbouring country should be addressed through political and internal measures.