India Rejects Pakistan Claim Of Role In Taliban Clashes

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Hussain Andrabi said at a press briefing on Thursday that Islamabad had not dispatched any official delegation to hold talks with the Taliban.

He said the individuals who travelled to Afghanistan were respected figures, but their visit was not organised by the Pakistani government.

Earlier, sources in Kabul told Afghanistan International that the delegation included Pakistani religious and jihadi figures, Maulana Fazlur Rahman Khalil, Maulana Abdullah Shah Mazhar and Maulana Sajid Usman.

According to the sources, the purpose of the trip was to explore ways to reduce tensions between Kabul and Islamabad.

The Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman also said Islamabad’s policy toward Afghanistan had not changed and that Pakistan had received no guarantees from the Taliban that attacks by militant groups from Afghan territory would stop.

Andrabi said the United Nations also had evidence regarding the issue.

Responding to a warning by the Taliban defence minister that Pakistan could be targeted if Afghanistan were attacked, he said Pakistan was already under attack.

He added that border crossings between the two countries remain closed and no new decision has been made on reopening them.

In another part of his weekly briefing, Andrabi reiterated Pakistan’s security concerns, saying Islamabad expects Afghan territory not to be used against Pakistan.

He said Pakistan wants effective action to prevent militant groups, which Pakistani officials say operate from inside Afghanistan, from launching attacks against the country.

Radio Pakistan reported on Thursday, March 12, that Pakistan’s army targeted and destroyed several Afghan Taliban positions along the frontier.

Citing security sources, the broadcaster said the outposts were located inside Afghan territory near the Tal area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The news outlet UrduPoint also reported, quoting security sources, that the Pakistani army continued retaliatory actions against Taliban forces, resulting in the destruction of several of their border posts.

Images released by Radio Pakistan appeared to show multiple posts being hit by air strikes.

At the same time, a Taliban deputy spokesman reported rocket strikes by Pakistani forces in Afghanistan’s Khost and Kunar provinces.

Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy Taliban spokpesrson, said the attack struck Sadaqah village in the Ali Shir district early on Thursday, March 12. He wrote on X that the victims were civilians, including a woman, a man, a boy and a girl.

Fitrat said the rockets hit tents belonging to nomadic Kochi families in the area.

He also said Pakistani forces fired at least 32 shells at Mano Gai district in Kunar province but reported no casualties.

According to him, 110 shells hit parts of Sarkano district, and another 65 shells struck areas of Nari district, also without causing casualties.

Pakistani authorities have not yet commented on the reported attacks.

Fitrat added that 14 rockets fired by Pakistani forces also targeted areas of Khas Kunar district, but no casualties or damage were reported.

The Taliban Supreme Court said in separate statements on Thursday, March 12, that corporal punishments of citizens had continued.

According to one report, two people in Bamiyan were publicly punished for theft and each was also sentenced to one year in prison.

Another statement said five men and one woman in Balkh were given 39 lashes.

The Taliban said the punishments were carried out in the presence of its officials and residents.

On Wednesday, the court also reported that 11 people, including two women, had been flogged in Takhar, Zabul and Badakhshan.

Findings by Afghanistan International show that since 2024 the Taliban have publicly flogged more than 2,000 people, including 291 women, on various charges while avoiding corporal punishment against individuals affiliated with their own ranks.

Yu Xiaoyong, China’s special representative for Afghanistan, made the remarks after meeting Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Industry and Commerce Minister Nooruddin Azizi during a visit to Kabul.

In a post on X, Yu said Taliban officials had emphasised their readiness to intensify efforts to resolve recent terrorist attacks and strengthen security for Chinese nationals working in Afghanistan.

Yu travelled to Kabul to facilitate dialogue between the Taliban and Pakistan amid rising tensions.

Earlier, China’s Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a phone call with Ishaq Dar to discuss the ongoing tensions involving the Taliban. China expressed support for Pakistan’s fight against terrorism while calling for reduced tensions in the region.

China has also expressed concern over attacks targeting its citizens in Afghanistan. Chinese nationals have been repeatedly targeted in Kabul and several other provinces by militants linked to Uyghur groups and the Islamic State Khorasan.