ISLAMABAD: Pakistan carried out precision air and drone strikes against 10 locations in Afghanistan after drones entered Pakistani airspace from Afghan territory, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Thursday, as tensions between the two neighbours escalated.
Tarar said Pakistan’s air defence systems had detected, tracked and neutralised all the incoming drones before they could reach their intended targets on Wednesday, describing the incident as a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“In exercise of its sovereign right to self-defence, Pakistan conducted precision aerial and drone strikes against 10 locations in Afghanistan used for launching and storing these drones,” Tarar said in a statement posted on X.
He said the strikes were “deliberate, precise, calibrated and proportionate” and were limited to military objectives that Pakistan had identified as being directly linked to the attempted drone attacks.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban administration of allowing militant groups to operate from Afghan territory. Tarar said Islamabad had previously raised concerns over what it described as terrorist sanctuaries and support networks in Afghanistan.
Instead of taking what Pakistan considers credible and verifiable action against those networks, Tarar said, the Afghan Taliban had escalated tensions through hostile drone operations against Pakistan.
Pakistan would not tolerate attacks launched from Afghan territory, whether by militant groups or by the Afghan Taliban itself, Tarar said, warning that any further violation of Pakistani sovereignty would draw an “immediate and decisive response”.
He also rejected what he described as possible denials or attempts by the Afghan Taliban to shift responsibility, saying these would not affect Pakistan’s right to defend its territory, people and national security.
Meanwhile, Tarar called on the Afghan Taliban administration to immediately halt hostile activities against Pakistan and take “effective, concrete, verifiable and sustained action” against militant groups operating from Afghan soil.
However, he said Pakistan did not seek an escalation and remained committed to regional peace, dialogue and constructive engagement.
“That commitment must not be mistaken for weakness or an unlimited tolerance of hostile actions,” Tarar said, adding that Pakistan would take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty, territorial integrity and citizens.
The statement comes a day after Pakistani security sources said eight drones had been shot down near the Torkham border and Kohat after entering Pakistani airspace from Afghanistan.
There was no immediate response from the Afghan Taliban administration to Tarar’s latest statement in the reports reviewed.
