UN Security Council To Vote On Extending UNAMA Mission In Afghanistan

According to the Taliban, at least 11 Pakistani soldiers were also wounded and one of their outposts was captured by Taliban forces during the operation.

In a statement issued early Saturday, the Taliban’s Defence Ministry said its fighters had destroyed a Pakistani armoured tank and a military vehicle.

Pakistan and independent sources have not confirmed the figures.

Radio Television Afghanistan reported Friday night that Taliban forces had launched what it described as a “retaliatory operation” against Pakistani military posts in Dur Baba district of Nangarhar province.

President Asif Ali Zardari wrote on X on Saturday that Pakistan would not tolerate the targeting of civilians and would defend its people.

Zardari also said Afghan territory should not be used for terrorism against neighbouring countries.

The Taliban’s Defence Ministry said Friday that it had carried out a drone strike on the Hamza military centre in the Faizabad area of Islamabad.

Jan Achakzai, former information minister of Pakistan’s Balochistan province, wrote on X that the time had come to change the Taliban regime.

Achakzai called for targeting political and administrative offices of the Afghan Taliban and outlined several proposals he said could help bring about political change in Afghanistan.

Among his suggestions was the establishment of offices in Islamabad for the National Resistance Front and the Afghanistan Freedom Front, two armed groups opposed to the Taliban.

He also proposed granting a 30-kilometre buffer zone along the Durand Line to forces of the National Resistance Front, extending to the Wakhan Corridor.

The former official further suggested that Pakistan provide drone support to National Resistance Front forces operating in Badakhshan, Panjshir and other northern provinces.

Achakzai also proposed opening offices in Pakistan’s capital for civil society organisations and groups advocating women’s rights.

In addition, he suggested transferring Afghanistan’s embassy in Islamabad to Taliban opponents.

Targeting Taliban political and administrative offices, including air-related infrastructure, was among the other proposals he mentioned in his post.

He also called for establishing a political office in Quetta for tribes opposed to the Taliban.

Mohaqiq, leader of the People’s Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan, said the Taliban’s actions should not discourage the population and added that Afghanistan, though largely overlooked at present, would soon return to the centre of international attention.

He made the remarks in a message marking the 31st anniversary of the death of Abdul Ali Mazari, the late leader of the Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan.

Referring to ongoing conflicts and crises in several parts of the world, including Ukraine, Lebanon and Gaza, Mohaqiq said the world was currently facing turbulence but Afghanistan would soon once again become a focal point for the region and the international community.

Mohaqiq also referred to the situation of the Hazara community in Afghanistan and attacks against the group in different periods of the country’s history.

He said being Hazara should not be treated as a crime in Afghanistan.

Speaking on Friday at an event marking the 31st anniversary of the killing of Abdul Ali Mazari, the late leader of the Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan, Massoud said the Taliban had turned Afghanistan into a stage for security and geopolitical rivalries.

He said that by providing sanctuary to groups such as Al-Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Jaish al-Adl, Ansarullah and other militant organisations, the Taliban had created conditions that allowed such tensions to escalate.

Massoud, who took part in the meeting virtually, added that the Taliban’s attempt to mobilise people against Pakistan’s attacks could not lead to the defence of the country because the group lacked both domestic and international legitimacy and had excluded the public from the power structure.

Referring to recent developments, he stressed that any freedom in Afghanistan must be achieved by the people of the country themselves.

The National Resistance Front leader also warned against any deal or intervention under the current circumstances, saying freedom should come from the will of the Afghan people.

According to Massoud, any settlement reached without consulting the people would be wrong, and ignoring public opinion cannot resolve Afghanistan’s ongoing crises.

He also called on political leaders to use what he described as an opportunity for Afghanistan’s freedom, provided they act in a coordinated, organised and unified manner.

In another part of his remarks, Massoud expressed concern about the impact of conflicts in the Middle East on Afghanistan’s economy, saying the prices of essential goods were rising daily while people struggled with despair and uncertainty.