ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has rejected as baseless allegations by the Afghan Taliban government regarding clashes in Afghanistan’s Nuristan province.
In a statement, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said Pakistan had no involvement in Nuristan or any internal clashes in Afghanistan. It termed claims of the involvement of Pakistani security forces and intelligence agencies fabricated.
The ministry also rejected allegations that Pakistan was recruiting or training former Afghan government personnel or facilitating any terrorist group, including Daesh.
It said no verifiable evidence had been presented to establish Pakistan’s involvement. No identities, documents, communication records or forensic evidence had been provided in support of the allegations.
The ministry added that a video circulating on social media allegedly did not establish any connection with Pakistan. It said continued United Nations reports had highlighted the presence and activities of terrorist organisations in Afghanistan.
According to the ministry, terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil pose a threat to Pakistan and regional security. It said the Taliban government’s accusation that Pakistan supports terrorism was surprising, given that terrorists were allegedly being provided sanctuary in Afghanistan.
The ministry urged the Taliban government to take verifiable action against terrorist organisations instead of blaming Pakistan for its internal security problems.
It also called on the Afghan authorities to fulfil their commitment to prevent Afghan territory from being used for terrorism against Pakistan or any other country.
The Ministry of Information further said that such claims by what it described as an exclusive and unrepresentative Taliban government also appeared aimed at diverting attention from internal dissent and alleged repression of women, children and minorities.
Earlier, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence had claimed that its forces carried out an operation against a group that had entered Nuristan from the Pakistani border. It claimed that 28 militants were killed and several others wounded, including members of Daesh and former Afghan government personnel.
