Islamabad: Pakistan has firmly denied allegations made by Zalmay Khalilzad, asserting that the claims of arming former Afghan nationals to fight against the Taliban and their allied terrorist groups are unfounded and misleading.

According to Radio Pakistan, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting responded to Khalilzad’s statements via its Fact Check account on platform X, dismissing his assertions as speculative narratives that serve a personal agenda aimed at supporting the Taliban regime. The ministry clarified that Pakistan’s counterterrorism operations are legitimately targeted against terrorist organizations operating within Afghan Taliban-controlled areas that pose threats to Pakistani citizens. These operations, the ministry emphasized, should not be misconstrued as efforts to recruit Afghan nationals or sponsor armed groups within Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s Information Ministry highlighted its leading role in combating terrorism, noting the substantial sacrifices it has made in safeguarding regional peace and security. The ministry also pointed to successive UN monitoring reports that have documented ongoing terrorist activities, including those of the TTP and Al-Qaeda, within Afghanistan. It suggested that Khalilzad’s allegations divert attention from the Afghan Taliban regime’s responsibility to curb the use of its territory by India-sponsored proxies against Pakistan. The ministry concluded that Khalilzad’s promotion of such unsubstantiated claims reveals a biased perspective.