Pakistan Reiterates No Civilian Attacks in Afghanistan, Vows Continued Operations

Pakistan's military leadership has firmly reiterated its stance on ongoing operations within Afghanistan, asserting that its actions are strictly targeted at dismantling terrorist networks and are not directed against civilian populations. In a high-level meeting chaired by Army Chief General Asim Munir, the command agreed to sustain the current operational tempo, aiming to decisively eliminate terrorist infrastructure and deny them any operational space. This firm resolve comes amidst escalating tensions and accusations between Islamabad and the Taliban regime in Kabul.

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maintain the current operational tempo to decisively dismantle terrorist networks, destroy their support infrastructure and deny them any operational space within Pakistan.

Islamabad has vehemently denounced what it terms a "propaganda campaign" by the Taliban, aimed at misrepresenting Pakistan's military actions and portraying it as an aggressor against Afghan civilians. Pakistani military officials dismissed these narratives as a deliberate disinformation strategy by the Taliban to deflect attention from their own internal governance failures and to play the victim card. This exchange of accusations follows recent reports of civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure, with the Taliban claiming Pakistani airstrikes hit schools and a health center, a claim Pakistan denies, insisting its operations are precision strikes against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its alleged sanctuaries under Taliban protection.

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a propaganda campaign by the Taliban regime to falsely portray Pakistan as a country that attacks civilians inside Afghanistan.

From Pakistan's perspective, the continued presence and operations of terrorist groups like the TTP within Afghanistan pose a direct threat to its national security. Islamabad maintains that the Afghan Taliban are harboring these groups, thereby violating international norms and bilateral understandings. The Pakistani military's commitment to continuing operations underscores its determination to address this threat, regardless of the diplomatic friction it creates. The international community, particularly China, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey, has been attempting to mediate, but the conflict, characterized by intense cross-border clashes, continues unabated, highlighting the complex security challenges in the region and the differing perspectives on the nature and intent of military actions.

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misleading narratives as part of the (Taliban) regime's disinformation strategy to divert attention from their internal failures and play the victim card.