Government rejects Afghan Taliban’s claim that Pakistan broke truce

The Ministry of Information on Friday rejected the Afghan Taliban’s allegation that Pakistan violated the temporary truce, calling it “frivolous.”

In an article on The pause, the ministry noted, was initiated by Pakistan on the occasion of Eidul Fitr.

The department’s “fact-check” statement indicates that no violations of the temporary pause have occurred along the western border and that all of these claims are entirely false.

It suggests the propaganda may have been spread by critics of the Taliban regime to create a pretext for Afghan Taliban-led terrorism or other actions.

The ministry stressed that whatever the source of these false claims, Pakistan has clearly stated that any act of terrorism, cross-border attack, drone strike or similar action by the Afghan Taliban or their proxies would result in the immediate end of the temporary pause and resumption of Operation Ghazab Lil Haq with renewed intensity.

The statement also shared a message from the Afghan Defense Ministry accusing Pakistan of violating the ceasefire on the first day of Eid, which Kabul observed on Thursday.

Read: Pakistan, Afghanistan agree Eid truce, suspend military operations

Pakistan and Afghanistan announced a temporary pause in hostilities ahead of Eidul Fitr on Wednesday, in what appears to be a rare de-escalation after days of heightened cross-border tensions.

The ceasefire, announced separately by Islamabad and Kabul, will remain in effect from midnight March 18-24 until midnight March 23-24, with both sides warning that any violation could trigger an immediate resumption of military operations.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the decision was taken in view of the upcoming Islamic festival and as a gesture of goodwill, as well as in response to requests from “brotherly Islamic countries”, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.

“In view of the upcoming Islamic festival of Eidul Fitr, on its own initiative as well as at the request of brotherly Islamic countries…the government of Pakistan has decided to announce a temporary pause in ‘Operation Ghazab-lil-Haq’ against terrorists and their supporting infrastructure in Afghanistan,” the minister said in a statement.

He added that the pause was offered “in good faith and in accordance with Islamic norms”, but clarified that the truce was conditional.

“In the event of any cross-border attack, drone strike or terrorist incident inside Pakistan, Operation Ghazab Lil Haq will immediately resume with renewed intensity,” the statement warned.

Learn more: DG ISPR refutes ‘ridiculous’ Afghan claim that drug rehab center was targeted, says Pakistan hit munitions storage site

Earlier, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry rubbished what he called a “ridiculous” claim that Pakistan was targeting a drug rehabilitation center in Afghanistan, saying the army had targeted an ammunition storage depot.

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 were “precise, deliberate and professional”, targeting only military and terrorist infrastructure linked to attacks inside Pakistan. Meanwhile, an official said Reuters Today, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan put the death toll in the alleged incident at 143.