Pakistan’s Ministry of Information (MoIB) has rejected reports circulated by Afghan media claiming that Pakistani forces had carried out strikes on a university and residential areas in Afghanistan’s Kunar province.
In a post on X on Monday, the ministry shared a screenshot of a report by Afghan outlet TOLOnews, which alleged that Pakistan had targeted Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani University along with nearby residential areas.
Calling the claim false, the ministry said that it was a “blatant lie and an attempt to gain sympathy to cover up support [provided] by Afghan Taliban to Fitna al Khawarij”.
Fitna al Khawarij is the term used by the Pakistani state for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Pakistan has repeatedly asked the Afghan Taliban to take action against militant sanctuaries on Afghan soil, particularly those linked to the banned TTP, saying that the concerns have remained unaddressed.
Pakistan is currently carrying out Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against militants and Afghan Taliban elements operating from across the border. The operation was launched on the night of February 26 following unprovoked cross-border attacks by the Afghan Taliban.
“Pakistan’s targeting is precise and intelligence-based,” the ministry said, adding that no strike had been carried out on Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani University and describing the reports as “frivolous and fake”.
“The pattern is a page of the old playbook where Afghan media creates fake news to cover up the support to terrorist groups and proxies like the Fitna al Khawarij and gets amplification from Indian media. Truth prevails over falsehood,” it added.
In another post, the ministry also shared a screenshot of an X account repeating the same claim of strikes in Kunar and labelled it “fake propaganda”.
“Continuous propaganda around phantom strikes in Kunar by Afghan media and officials backed by the Indian propagandists indicate that the Afghan Taliban regime, having nothing to offer to [its] citizens in terms of service, welfare and governance, only relies on misinformation and hate,” the ministry stated.
It further said that the campaign showed that “the only thing they have learnt from their Indian propaganda masters is lies and false flag operations”.
“Such pathetic antics and vile accusations are absurd. It should, however, be clear that as part of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, whenever and wherever Pakistan strikes the Afghan-based terror infrastructure, it will be as per previous actions, well declared, fully owned and backed by precise evidence of targeting terror support infrastructure,” the ministry added.
