Pakistan rejects Taliban allegations over Nuristan violence

Pakistan has rejected allegations by the Afghan Taliban authorities that Pakistani security and intelligence agencies were involved in recent violence in Afghanistan’s Nuristan province.

The Ministry of Information described the accusations as baseless and said Islamabad had no role in clashes or unrest inside Afghanistan.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the ministry also denied claims that Pakistan was recruiting or training former Afghan security personnel or supporting Daesh and other militant groups operating in Afghanistan.

The response followed allegations from the Afghan Taliban’s Ministry of Defence concerning fighting in Kamdesh district of Nuristan. Afghan authorities claimed that Daesh-linked militants and other groups had crossed the Durand Line with support from Pakistan.

According to the Afghan side, its forces killed 28 suspected infiltrators and arrested another 32. It also claimed that some fighters managed to return across the border.

Pakistan said no credible evidence had been presented to establish its alleged involvement. The ministry said there were no identities, documents, communications records, forensic material or independent verification to support the accusations.

It also rejected a video circulated on social media as evidence of the alleged involvement of Pakistani personnel. Islamabad said the footage showed several unarmed individuals and did not establish the claims made by Afghan authorities.

Pakistan further argued that the presence of militant organisations inside Afghanistan has been documented in reports by the United Nations and other international bodies.

The ministry said attempts to link such groups to Pakistan could not change what it described as the continued presence of militant organisations on Afghan soil.

Islamabad urged the Afghan Taliban authorities to take verifiable action against groups operating from Afghanistan and honour their commitments that Afghan territory would not be used to carry out attacks against Pakistan or other countries.

The statement also accused the Afghan authorities of attempting to shift attention from their internal security challenges through allegations against Pakistan.

Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban have repeatedly exchanged accusations over cross-border militancy. Kabul has previously accused Islamabad of carrying out attacks and supporting armed groups, while Pakistan has consistently rejected those allegations.

Pakistani officials maintain that militant groups based in Afghanistan continue to pose a security threat to the country. Islamabad has repeatedly called for action against such organisations and says attacks originating from Afghan territory remain a major security concern.