Prime Minister’s spokesperson Mosharraf Zaidi has said that there will be no talks with the Afghan Taliban, emphasising that the country's position on dialogue has been "crystal clear". 

 

The statement comes as Russia expressed concern over fighting along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that clashes involving aircraft and heavy weapons had taken place across “virtually the entire border area.”

 

She added that there have been casualties on both sides and that civilians, including Afghan refugees who returned from Pakistan and Iran, have suffered. Zakharova called on Islamabad and Kabul to refrain from hostilities and to resolve differences through dialogue based on mutual respect.

 

The United Nations (UN) refugee agency said that over 115,000 Afghans and around 3,000 Pakistanis have been displaced due to the conflict along the border. UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) said that clashes have forced thousands of families to flee and warned that internal displacement continues in both countries.

 

Reports quoted security sources as saying that Pakistani forces responded to unprovoked firing by the Afghan Taliban along the Kurram-Paktika border. Multiple Taliban posts and those of Fitna al-Khawarij were reportedly destroyed.

 

State broadcaster PTV reported that Pakistan’s armed forces also destroyed terrorist hideouts near the Pak-Afghan border in the Zhob and Qila Saifullah sectors. Reports quoted the sources as saying that during the operation, Afghan Taliban fighters were forced to abandon their posts and flee.

Reports quoted officials as saying that Pakistan has no issue with Afghanistan or its people, but that the Afghan Taliban regime has become a “proxy master” facilitating terrorist groups. Officials said the Taliban leadership must choose between maintaining relations with Pakistan or continuing to support militants. 

They added that the operation will continue until practical steps and credible assurances are provided to end cross-border terrorism.

 

Officials rejected claims that civilian areas were being targeted in Afghanistan, calling such reports misleading and noting the loss of innocent Pakistani lives in terrorist attacks. 

They said that groups facing persecution under the Afghan Taliban regime have welcomed the operation and accused Afghan official accounts and Indian-backed media of spreading false narratives.

 
Reports quoted security sources as saying that more than 200 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) are carried out daily across Pakistan to counter terrorist threats. Officials stressed that national unity and full implementation of the National Action Plan are essential to eliminating terrorism.

 

According to the recent updates, Pakistan’s military continues its operations against the Afghan Taliban and affiliated militant groups under Operation Ghazab lil-Haq. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on March 4 in a post on X that the Taliban have suffered 481 fatalities and over 696 injuries so far. The army has destroyed 226 check posts, captured 35 posts, and neutralised 198 tanks, armoured vehicles, and artillery guns. Airstrikes have targeted 56 locations across Afghanistan, Tarar said.