Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s spokesperson, reacted to the statements of Khawaja Asif, Pakistan's Defence Minister, regarding Afghanistan becoming a source of terrorism.

Speaking to Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) under Taliban control, Mujahid said that Pakistan's security issues are unrelated to Afghanistan.

In an interview published on Thursday, Mujahid reiterated that Afghanistan, under Taliban’s control, does not pose a threat to neighbouring countries. He emphasised that Afghanistan itself has been a victim of war for the past 40 years.

On Wednesday, Pakistan's Defence Minister posted on his X social media account that the source of terrorist incidents in Pakistan originates from Afghanistan. He noted that despite Pakistan's efforts, Kabul, aware that terrorism emanating from its territory targets Pakistan, has not made any progress in addressing this issue.

The Pakistani Defence Minister stressed that in the current situation, where the Taliban are unwilling to cooperate, Pakistan must enforce all international laws and norms at its border with Afghanistan. He also emphasised on the imperative to stop terrorist movements across the border.

These statements by Asif come one day after a suicide attack on a vehicle carrying Chinese engineers in Besham city, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. In this attack, at least five Chinese engineers and one Pakistani driver were killed.