ISLAMABAD – The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has rejected allegations by former US diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad that Islamabad is arming former Afghan personnel to fight the Taliban regime and their supporter terrorist groups, describing the claims as baseless and misleading.
In an official fact-check statement, the ministry said Khalilzad’s assertions relied on speculation and reflected what it described as a personal agenda aimed at supporting the Afghan Taliban regime.
The ministry stressed that Pakistan’s counterterrorism operations were directed against militant organisations operating from areas under the control of the Afghan Taliban that pose a threat to Pakistani citizens. It rejected attempts to link these operations with claims that Pakistan was recruiting Afghan nationals or sponsoring armed groups inside Afghanistan.
“Pakistan remains at the forefront of the fight against terrorism and has made enormous sacrifices in protecting regional peace and security,” the statement said.
The ministry also referred to successive United Nations monitoring reports, saying they had documented the continued presence and activities of terrorist organisations, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Al-Qaeda, inside Afghanistan.
According to the statement, allegations against Pakistan risk diverting attention from the Afghan Taliban authorities’ responsibility to prevent their territory from being used for attacks against Pakistan.
The ministry further alleged that India-sponsored proxies were operating against Pakistan and called attention to what it described as the need to address militant activity originating from Afghan territory.
Concluding its response, the ministry criticised Khalilzad’s remarks as unsubstantiated and said they reflected a biased perspective.