A house hit by Pakistani airstrikes in Nurgal district, Kunar province. Sept. 2026.
Pakistan rejected remarks by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid criticizing Islamabad, saying Taliban authorities should address the presence of the Pakistani Taliban in Afghanistan rather than focus on Pakistan’s internal affairs.
The statement from Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting came late Monday in response to Mujahid, who earlier said Pakistani officials were blaming Afghanistan for their own country’s political, security, social and economic problems.
Pakistan’s ministry described Mujahid’s comments as an attempt to divert attention from what it called the failure of Taliban authorities to prevent militant groups from using Afghanistan’s territory to plan and carry out attacks in Pakistan.
It cited a 2025 report by the UN Security Council’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, which estimated that the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, maintained about 6,000 fighters in Afghanistan. The UN report said TTP fighters were located in Khost, Kunar, Nangarhar, Paktika and Paktya provinces.
Taliban authorities have repeatedly rejected allegations that they allow Afghanistan’s territory to be used against other countries.
Pakistan said the UN findings could not be dismissed as Pakistani propaganda and called on Taliban authorities to respond with “concrete action rather than denial.”
The ministry also criticized the Taliban’s record on human rights, citing restrictions on girls’ education, after Mujahid called on Pakistan to address its domestic problems and respect the rights and views of its people and politicians.
Pakistan said it remained committed to dialogue but that progress depended on Taliban authorities fulfilling counterterrorism commitments and taking “verifiable action” against militant sanctuaries and support networks.
“Pakistan will take all necessary measures, in accordance with international law, to protect its citizens, defend its sovereignty and safeguard its territorial integrity,” the ministry said.
The exchange followed remarks by Mujahid earlier Monday in which he rejected criticism from Pakistani officials and said Islamabad was blaming Afghanistan for its own problems.
“Blaming Afghanistan for its own failures by Pakistani officials is no solution to any problem,” Mujahid said.
He said Pakistan’s political, security, social and economic challenges were a matter of concern for the region and described Pakistani officials’ allegations against Afghanistan as baseless. Mujahid also criticized what he called attempts to undermine negotiations and an excessive focus on propaganda rather than solutions.
Mujahid called on Pakistan to take steps to address its domestic challenges and respect the views and rights of its politicians and people.
Relations between Taliban authorities and Pakistan have remained strained over the TTP and a series of cross-border confrontations. Islamabad says TTP members operate from sanctuaries in Afghanistan and carry out attacks in Pakistan, while Taliban authorities have repeatedly rejected those allegations.
The UN. Security Council monitoring team’s 16th report, issued in December 2025, said relations between the two sides had deteriorated sharply over the TTP and that negotiations since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 had produced temporary ceasefires but no lasting solution.