FO denies India’s ‘baseless and unjustified’ remarks on strikes on Afghan terror infrastructure

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FO) on Wednesday rejected what it termed “baseless, misleading and unwarranted” remarks by the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA) on Pakistan’s ongoing action against terror infrastructure in Afghanistan.

Pakistan has carried out airstrikes against terrorist targets in Afghanistan as part of the temporarily suspended Operation Ghazab Lil Haq. On Tuesday, the Taliban regime’s deputy spokesperson, Hamdullah Fitrat, claimed in a message on X that an airstrike hit the Omid drug treatment hospital, killing up to 400 people in the Afghan capital overnight.

However, Pakistan has forcefully rejected the Afghan Taliban’s claims, calling them “totally baseless” and part of a broader pattern of disinformation aimed at distorting facts. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the strikes carried out on the night of March 16 were “precise, deliberate and professional”, targeting only military and terrorist infrastructure linked to attacks inside Pakistan.

The Indian MEA condemned the incident in a statement issued a day ago.

Learn more: Operation Ghazab Lil Haq was temporarily suspended at the request of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey in view of Eidul Fitr: Tarar

Responding to the MEA statement, FO today said, “Pakistan rejects the baseless, misleading and unwarranted statement issued by the Indian MEA on Pakistan’s ongoing action against terrorist infrastructure in Afghanistan.

“In the context of India’s active sponsorship of terrorism directed against Pakistan from Afghan soil, as well as its historical role as troublemaker, this statement only reflects India’s blatant hypocrisy and duplicity.”

It should be remembered that Indian leaders remain irresponsible despite “the instrumentalization of Islamophobia for national electoral purposes and the perpetration of pogroms against its Muslim population”.

FO said that only a few weeks ago its leaders pledged their full and unequivocal support to “another occupying power responsible for the continued killing of thousands of innocent Palestinians”, apparently referring to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s expression of solidarity during a visit to Israel.

“It is absurd for a State that has historically undermined the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighboring countries, in violation of international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter, to comment on respect for such principles.

“Such statements cannot distract from the fact that India has suppressed and continues to suppress and deny the right to self-determination of Kashmiris in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, in violation of relevant UN resolutions,” it read.

FO said India must refrain from supporting and sponsoring terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil, including those listed on the UN Security Council sanctions list.

“In this regard, India should stop wrongly lamenting Pakistan’s successful anti-terrorism measures,” FO concluded.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s spokesperson for foreign media, Mosharraf Zaidi, refuted the Afghan Taliban’s claims that they targeted a hospital and civilians, adding that Pakistan’s recent strikes in Afghanistan targeted terrorists only and were based on accurate intelligence, entirely motivated by the need to protect its citizens, state TV reported. Pakistani television reported.

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On Tuesday, the Taliban regime’s deputy spokesperson, Hamdullah Fitrat, claimed in a message on X that an airstrike hit the Omid drug treatment hospital, killing up to 400 people in the Afghan capital overnight. However, Pakistan has forcefully rejected the Afghan Taliban’s claims, calling them “totally baseless” and part of a broader pattern of disinformation aimed at distorting facts.

An official said Reuters Today, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan put the death toll in the alleged incident at 143.

Zaidi claimed the target was “Camp Phoenix,” which he described as a long-standing weapons and training center used by terrorist groups.

“The burden of proof is on those making the accusations,” he said, adding that no credible evidence has been presented to support claims that civilian infrastructure was affected.

Zaidi noted that Pakistan did not view military action as a long-term solution but as a necessary response.

“We are carrying out a very specific, very targeted and very precise campaign against terrorist infrastructure,” he said, adding that operations would continue as long as threats against Pakistani citizens persist.

He further stressed that any pause in counterterrorism operations would depend on “clear and measurable action” by the Afghan Taliban against militant networks.

“Once there is a decisive break in support for these groups and the threat is eliminated, these strikes will cease,” Zaidi said, emphasizing that Pakistan’s priority remains the safety and security of its people.