Mosharraf Zaidi says strikes were aimed at terrorists and grounded in precise intelligence
Foreign Office. Photo: File
The Foreign Office (FO) on Wednesday rejected what it said were “baseless, misleading, and unwarranted” remarks by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Pakistan’s ongoing action against terrorist infrastructure in Afghanistan.
Pakistan has been conducting air strikes against terrorist targets in Afghanistan as part of the now temporarily paused Operation Ghazab Lil Haq. On Tuesday, the Taliban regime’s deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat claimed in a post on X that an airstrike had hit the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital, killing up to 400 people in the Afghan capital overnight.
However, Pakistan forcefully rejected the Afghan Taliban claims, terming the allegations “entirely baseless” and part of a wider pattern of misinformation aimed at distorting facts. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar had 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.
India’s MEA had condemned the incident in a statement issued a day ago.
Read More: Operation Ghazab Lil Haq temporarily paused on request of Saudi, Qatar and Turkiye in view of Eidul Fitr: Tarar
Responding to the MEA statement, the FO said today: “Pakistan rejects the baseless, misleading, and unwarranted statement issued by the Indian MEA on Pakistan’s ongoing action against terrorist infrastructure in Afghanistan.
“Against the backdrop of India’s active sponsorship of terrorism directed at Pakistan from Afghan soil, as well as its historical role as a spoiler, this statement merely reflects India’s blatant hypocrisy and duplicity.”
It said it must be recalled that Indian leadership remained unaccountable despite “instrumentalising Islamophobia for domestic electoral gain and perpetrating pogroms against its Muslim population”.
The FO said that only a few weeks ago, its leadership pledged full and unequivocal support to “another occupying power responsible for the ongoing 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 preposterous for a state that has historically undermined the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbouring countries, in violation of international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter, to comment on the upholding of such principles.
“Such statements cannot divert attention from the fact that India has been, 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.
🔊PR No.7️⃣1️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣
Statement by the Spokesperson on Statement Made by the Ministry of External Affairs of India on 17 March 2026 pic.twitter.com/HyjHtTsQOk
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) March 18, 2026
The FO said India must refrain from supporting and sponsoring terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil, including those listed under the UN Security Council sanctions list.
“In this regard, India should cease its misplaced lament over Pakistan’s successful counter-terrorism measures,” the FO concluded.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s spokesman for foreign media, Mosharraf Zaidi, refuted the Afghan Taliban’s claims of targeting a hospital and civilians, adding Pakistan’s recent strikes in Afghanistan were aimed solely at terrorists and grounded in precise intelligence, driven entirely by the need to protect its citizens, state broadcaster Pakistan TV reported.
Read More: CM Bugti says major terrorism plot foiled after arrest of female suicide bomber
On Tuesday, the Taliban regime’s deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat claimed in a post on X that an airstrike had hit the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital, killing up to 400 people in the Afghan capital overnight. However, Pakistan forcefully rejected the Afghan Taliban’s claims, terming the allegations “entirely baseless” and part of a wider pattern of misinformation aimed at distorting facts.
An official told Reuters today that the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has put the death toll in the alleged incident at 143.
Zaidi maintained that the target was “Camp Phoenix”, which he described as a long-standing weapons and training facility used by terrorist groups.
“The burden of proof lies with those making the accusations,” he said, adding that no credible evidence has been presented to support claims of civilian infrastructure being hit.
Zaidi noted that Pakistan did not view military action as a long-term solution but as a necessary response.
“We are pursuing a very specific, very targeted, very precise campaign against terrorist infrastructure,” he said, adding that operations would continue as long as threats to Pakistani citizens persist.
He further stressed that any pause in counter-terrorism operations would depend on “clear, measurable action” against the militant networks by the Afghan Taliban.
“Once there is a decisive break from support to these groups and the threat is eliminated, these strikes will stop,” Zaidi said, underscoring that Pakistan’s priority remains the safety and security of its people.
