Pakistan says will ‘take all measures to defend territory’

‘Serious provocation’, Dar warns Afghanistan after aggression

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday warned Afghanistan that Pakistan was “exercising extreme caution in its defensive response” to the former’s unprovoked firing raids along the border, terming it a “serious provocation”.

In a statement on X, DPM Dar said that he was “deeply concerned” over the development on the Pakistan-Afghan border.

He said that Pakistani strikes targeting Taliban infrastructure were aimed at neutralising Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) aka Fitna al-Khawarij and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), also known as Fitna al-Hindustan terrorist elements operating from the Afghan soil.

Noting that Pakistan’s defensive response was not targeted towards the peace-loving Afghan civilian population, Dar said that Pakistan “will take all possible measures to defend its own territory, sovereignty and its people”.

“We expect the Taliban Government to take concrete measures against terrorist elements and their perpetrators that wish to derail Pak-Afghan relations,” the DPM remarked.

His remarks come as Pakistan and Afghanistan have been engaged in cross-border skirmishes triggered after Afghan forces opened unprovoked gunfire at several border points, including Angoor Adda, Bajaur, and Kurram, while attacks were also reported in Dir, Chitral, Baramcha, and others. Staff Report