Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan military has categorically rejected claims by the Afghan Taliban regarding an air strike in Kabul, stating that the site was a military installation housing explosives and drones rather than a drug rehabilitation facility. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Hamid Mir of private Pakistani broadcaster Geo News, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry explained that the strike on a military camp in Kabul was a key component of Operation Ghazab lil Haq. He asserted that massive &ldquo;secondary detonations&rdquo; observed after the strike provided undeniable evidence that the location was an &ldquo;ammunition storage site and a drone storage site.&rdquo; &quot;Because our intelligence was correct and we hit an ammunition storage... the world saw that... secondary detonations occurred,&quot; the DG ISPR stated. He further explained that the facility contained heavy weaponry, including &ldquo;Russian-era Scud missiles&rdquo; and various technical equipment. Addressing reports from the Afghan Taliban and international media claiming the target was the &quot;Umeed&quot; drug rehabilitation center, Chaudhry questioned the logic of such a placement.&nbsp; &ldquo;Why you built a drug rehab center in an ammunition storage center where you have kept missiles and weapons?&rdquo; he asked, noting the facility was located within a military perimeter. The DG ISPR further alleged that the regime utilizes drug addicts for militant purposes, stating that while not every addict is a bomber, &ldquo;all suicide bombers are drug addicts&rdquo; acting under the influence of narcotics. He suggested the targeted &ldquo;military containerized structure&rdquo; was likely a &ldquo;suicide bombing bomber training facility&rdquo; or a hideout for terrorists. The military confirmed that 81 air strikes have been conducted across various locations to dismantle &ldquo;terrorist support infrastructure,&rdquo; which includes core headquarters and ammunition depots. These actions are a response to 53 attacks on Pakistani border posts carried out by the Afghan Taliban&rsquo;s &ldquo;regular militia.&rdquo;&nbsp; Chaudhry emphasized that the military is employing &ldquo;precision-guided munitions&rdquo; (PGMs) to ensure accuracy and minimize collateral damage while targeting those facilitating &ldquo;Indian-sponsored funded terrorism&rdquo; from Afghan soil. He concluded that the Afghan regime must decide whether to support &ldquo;Fitna al-Khawarij&rdquo; (TTP) or prioritize regional peace.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry. (File photo: Screengrab/ISPR Official YouTUbe)

Security

Says Operation Ghazab lil Haq hit Indian-sponsored terror infrastructure in Afghanistan, dismissing “rehab” claims after secondary detonations proved ammunition and drone storage.

Secondary detonations prove Kabul target was ammunition depot, ‘not rehab facility’: Pakistan military

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday warned Afghanistan&rsquo;s interim government to dismantle&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/armed-forces-ready-to-defend-pakistans-sovereignty-field-marshal-munir" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">terrorist groups</a>&nbsp;operating from their territory, saying Pakistan will not tolerate cross-border attacks and &ldquo;will respond decisively&rdquo; to any aggression. Addressing a joint sitting of Parliament, Zardari said Pakistan had exercised restraint but acted firmly when its sovereignty was challenged. Cross-border attacks The president said the past 10 months&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/no-dialogue-pakistan-says-terrorism-from-afghanistan-must-end" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">tested the country</a>&nbsp;in &ldquo;profound and complex ways.&rdquo; He said that when confronted with attacks on its borders, Pakistan responded with &ldquo;strategic restraint and firm resolve.&rdquo; On the western border, he said, security forces acted quickly after an increase in attacks on Feb. 26 by the Taliban regime. &ldquo;Our security forces acted decisively to signal zero tolerance for any incursions into our sovereign territory,&rdquo; he said. He stated that the political leadership stood united and the people of Pakistan &ldquo;resolute.&rdquo; Warning to Kabul Zardari said Pakistan had tried &ldquo;every possible form of diplomacy&rdquo; to prevent escalation after terrorist incursions from Afghan territory. But he warned that patience has limits. &ldquo;The Taliban regime saw with shock and awe what Pakistan could do if pushed past the red line,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We let both India and Afghanistan see a fraction of our capability.&rdquo; He cited Article 51 of the UN Charter, which he said gives Pakistan the right to defend its sovereignty. He said Pakistan would not allow any entity to use neighboring territory to destabilize its peace. President Zardari said that despite repeated diplomatic engagements, the Afghan de facto regime continues to provide safe havens to groups including Al-Qaeda, <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-urges-unsc-to-designate-bla-as-terrorist-group" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Balochistan Liberation Army</a> (BLA) and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Commitments made in Doha to prevent such activity, he said, had been ignored. &ldquo;They must choose to dismantle the terrorist groups that survive on conflict and its war economy,&rdquo; he said, urging Afghanistan&rsquo;s rulers not to allow their country to be used as a battlefield for other powers. Broader security message The president said the past year tested Pakistan in &ldquo;profound and complex ways.&rdquo; He said the country responded with &ldquo;strategic restraint and firm resolve&rdquo; when its sovereignty was challenged. He praised the armed forces for successful operations on both eastern and western borders and said the political leadership and the public stood united. &ldquo;The soil of Pakistan is sacred,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We will not allow any entity, domestic or foreign, to destabilize our peace.&rdquo; Regional and global stance Zardari condemned the war on Iran while negotiations were underway, saying the attacks undermined peace. He said Pakistan supports Iran&rsquo;s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The president described ties with China as having reached new heights and thanked&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/president-xi-says-china-to-hit-2025-growth-target-of-around-5" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">President Xi Jinping</a>&nbsp;for solidarity and cooperation. Economy and federation President Zardari linked&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-defies-panic-as-foreign-investment-continues-to-rise" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">economic stability</a>&nbsp;to national security. He said the government had steered the country away from economic collapse in 2022 and restored stability to key indicators. He called for inclusive growth, structural reforms and transparency in taxation. He also focused on energy reform, climate resilience, agricultural stability and equitable resource distribution among provinces. &ldquo;A strong federation does not require centralization,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It requires coordination and constitutional governance.&rdquo;

Foreign Affairs

Says Pakistan has exercised restraint but acted firmly against cross-border attacks; criticizes Afghan Taliban for harboring militants, and warns that continued safe havens for groups like TTP, BLA, and al-Qaida would provoke a decisive response.

President Zardari warns Afghanistan over militant sanctuaries, says Pakistan ready to act

ISLAMABAD: Claims circulating on Afghan and Indian media platforms that a Pakistani fighter jet was shot down over Afghanistan during Pakistan&rsquo;s retaliatory strikes have been rejected by Pakistani authorities and debunked by independent reporting. The claim, first attributed to officials of the Afghan Taliban government and amplified by Indian media outlets, alleged that Afghan forces downed a Pakistani jet in Nangarhar province and captured its pilot alive. Pakistan&rsquo;s Foreign Ministry categorically denied the reports. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s a false claim. Totally untrue,&rdquo; Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said, dismissing assertions of any aircraft loss or pilot capture. No Pakistani authority has reported the loss of an aircraft since the launch of Pakistan&rsquo;s retaliatory operation and no independent international media organization has verified the claim. Officials said the allegation relied entirely on statements from Afghan Taliban sources and unverified social media amplification. Critically, no physical evidence has emerged to support the narrative. No crash debris, wreckage site, or images of a captured pilot have been produced. Analysts note that in modern conflict environments, verified aircraft losses are typically documented quickly through satellite imagery, geolocated footage, or third-party confirmation. None of which exists in this case. Several videos circulated online as purported evidence of the jet&rsquo;s downing were also found to be misleading. Officials said the clips were either old, unrelated footage from Afghanistan or taken from entirely different incidents. An image shared by TOLO News showing a crashed aircraft was also flagged as false context. The image corresponds to a Russian aircraft incident in T&uuml;rkiye in 2021 and has no connection to Pakistan or the current conflict, according to officials familiar with the matter. Independent media outlets monitoring the escalation did not corroborate the Afghan claims. Reports citing journalists on the ground and defense observers found no evidence supporting the assertion of a Pakistani jet being downed. The absence of verification by organizations such as AFP further undercut the credibility of the claim. Pakistani officials described the episode as part of a broader, coordinated disinformation effort following Pakistan&rsquo;s retaliatory strikes inside Afghanistan. &ldquo;For the past two days, hundreds of fake or misleading videos and claims have circulated,&rdquo; an official said, adding that the jet narrative fits a recurring pattern of propaganda following battlefield setbacks. VerdictThe claim that a Pakistani fighter jet was shot down in Nangarhar and its pilot captured is false. No aircraft loss has been confirmed, no physical or visual evidence exists and the material circulated online has been shown to be recycled or unrelated. AdvisoryOfficials urged the public to avoid sharing unverified battlefield claims and to rely on official statements and credible international reporting, warning that disinformation campaigns intensify during periods of conflict.

Claims circulating on Afghan and Indian media platforms that a Pakistani fighter jet was shot down over Afghanistan during Pakistan’s retaliatory strikes have been rejected by Pakistani authorities and debunked by independent reporting.

Articles tagged with "Pakistan Afghanistan Clashes"

Secondary detonations prove Kabul target was ammunition depot, ‘not rehab facility’: Pakistan military

President Zardari warns Afghanistan over militant sanctuaries, says Pakistan ready to act

Fact Check: Claims of Pakistani jet downed after retaliatory strikes false