Govt rejects Afghan Taliban’s claim of Pakistan breaking truce

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

In a post on X, the information ministry dismissed the Afghan Taliban’s claim that the country had violated the temporary pause in fighting, describing the allegation as “frivolous.” The pause, the ministry noted, had been initiated by Pakistan in observance of Eidul Fitr.

The ministry’s “fact check” statement said no violations of the temporary pause had occurred along the western border and that all such claims were entirely false.

It suggested that the propaganda may have been circulated by detractors within the Taliban regime to create a pretext for Afghan Taliban-directed terrorism or other actions.

The ministry emphasised that regardless of the source of these false claims, Pakistan has clearly stated that any acts of terrorism, cross-border attacks, drone strikes, or similar actions by the Afghan Taliban or its proxies would lead to the immediate termination of the temporary pause and the resumption of Operation Ghazab Lil Haq with renewed intensity.

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

Read: Pakistan, Afghanistan agree on Eid truce, pause military ops

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

The ceasefire, announced separately by Islamabad and Kabul, will remain in effect from midnight March 18/19 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 goodwill gesture, as well as in response to requests from “brotherly Islamic countries,” including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye.

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

He added that the pause was being offered “in good faith and in keeping with Islamic norms,” but made it clear that the truce was conditional.

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

Read more: DG ISPR rubbishes ‘ridiculous’ Afghan claim of targeting drug rehab centre, says Pakistan hit ammo storage site

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

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.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar had said the strikes carried out were “precise, deliberate and professional”, targeting only military and terrorist infrastructure linked to attacks inside Pakistan. Meanwhile, ​an official told Reuters today that the United Nations Assistance Mission ​in Afghanistan has ‌put the death toll in the alleged incident at 143.