Pakistan’s Information Ministry has rejected former US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad’s allegations that Pakistan was arming Afghans against the Taliban. The ministry called his claims baseless and misleading in a statement published on Saturday. It also denied recruiting Afghan nationals to fight anti-Pakistan insurgents or supporting armed groups inside Afghanistan.
Khalilzad made the allegations a day earlier through a post on social media platform X. He claimed Pakistan was recruiting Afghans to fight groups carrying out attacks against the country. Khalilzad previously served as the US special representative for Afghanistan during President Donald Trump’s first administration.
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In response, the Information Ministry accused Khalilzad of repeating speculative claims to advance a personal agenda. It said his allegations supported narratives that defended the Afghan Taliban government. The ministry also criticised what it described as his unsubstantiated and biased views.
The ministry stressed that Pakistan’s counterterrorism operations do not amount to recruiting Afghan nationals or sponsoring armed groups. It said these operations target terrorist organisations operating from areas under the Afghan Taliban government’s control. According to the statement, these groups threaten Pakistan’s citizens and national security.
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◾️ Pakistan categorically rejects the baseless and misleading allegations by Zalmay Khalilzad of arming former Afghans to fight Taliban and their supporters terrorist groups. His sweeping baseless assertions merely recycle speculative narratives as part of his personal agenda to prop terrorism supporting Taliban regime.
◾️ It is particularly misleading to conflate Pakistan’s legitimate counterterrorism operations against terrorist organisations operating from inside Afghan Taliban regime controlled areas threatening its citizens with allegations of 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.
◾️ Successive UN monitoring reports have documented the continued presence and activities of terrorist organisations, including TTP and Al-Qaeda, inside Afghanistan. Khalilzad’s allegations conveniently divert attention from the Afghan Taliban regime’s responsibility to prevent its territory from being used by Indian sponsored proxies for terrorism against Pakistan.
◾️Mr Khalilzad paddling of such unsubstantiated allegations only expose his skewed agenda based views.— Fact Checker MoIB (@FactCheckerMoIB) October 24, 2026
Furthermore, the ministry highlighted Pakistan’s role in combating terrorism and protecting regional stability. It said Pakistan had made enormous sacrifices to support regional peace and security. However, the statement did not provide further details about the specific allegations Khalilzad raised.
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The ministry also referred to successive United Nations monitoring reports documenting the presence of terrorist organisations inside Afghanistan. These reports have highlighted the continued activities of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and Al-Qaeda. Pakistan has repeatedly raised concerns about militant groups operating from Afghan territory.
The ministry further accused Khalilzad’s claims of diverting attention from the Afghan Taliban government’s responsibilities. It said the authorities in Afghanistan must prevent their territory from being used for attacks against Pakistan. The statement also alleged that India-sponsored proxies were involved in terrorism targeting Pakistan. Khalilzad’s allegations and Pakistan’s response highlight continuing tensions over cross-border militancy and regional security.