ISLAMABAD — Pakistan has categorically rejected allegations by former US ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad that it is arming former Afghan fighters to battle the Taliban and affiliated terrorist groups, describing the claims as baseless and misleading.
In a fact-check report, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said Khalilzad’s assertions merely recycle speculative narratives and serve his personal agenda of propping up a Taliban regime that supports terrorism.
Counterterrorism Operations Misrepresented
The ministry argued it is particularly misleading to conflate Pakistan’s legitimate counterterrorism operations — conducted against terrorist organisations operating from areas controlled by the Afghan Taliban regime that threaten Pakistani citizens — with allegations of recruiting Afghan nationals or sponsoring armed groups inside Afghanistan.
It stressed that Pakistan remains at the forefront of the fight against terrorism and has made enormous sacrifices in protecting regional peace and security.
UN Reports Cited on Terrorist Presence
The ministry pointed to successive United Nations monitoring reports that have documented the continued presence and activities of terrorist organisations, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Al-Qaeda, inside Afghanistan.
It added that 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.
- Pakistan rejects Khalilzad’s claims of arming Afghan groups as baseless.
- The ministry says the allegations deflect from Kabul’s duty to deny territory to terrorist groups.
- UN monitoring reports are cited as documenting TTP and Al-Qaeda activity inside Afghanistan.
- Islamabad says it has made enormous sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.
The ministry concluded that Khalilzad’s promotion of such unsubstantiated allegations only exposes his skewed, agenda-driven views.
