ISLAMABAD: Federal Information Minister Atta Tarar said Pakistan exercised its right to self-defence and carried out air and drone strikes at 10 locations in Afghanistan on September 23.
In a statement posted on X, Tarar strongly condemned what he described as the deliberate and illegal incursion of drones from Afghan territory. He said the incident constituted a serious and unacceptable violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
According to Tarar, Pakistan’s air defence systems detected all the intruding drones and destroyed them before they could reach their targets, completely thwarting the attempted drone attack from Afghan territory.
He said Pakistan, while exercising its right to self-defence, targeted 10 locations in Afghanistan that were being used to launch and store the drones. Tarar stated that the strikes were deliberate, precise, proportionate and limited, and targeted only identified military objectives directly linked to attacks against Pakistan.
The information minister said Pakistan would not accept attacks originating from Afghan territory, whether carried out by militant groups or accepted or tolerated by the Afghan Taliban government. He warned that any violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty would receive an immediate and decisive response.
Tarar called on the Afghan Taliban government to immediately halt all hostile activities against Pakistan and take effective and sustained action against terrorist elements operating from Afghan territory.
He said Pakistan did not want an escalation and remained committed to regional peace, dialogue and constructive engagement. However, he stressed that Pakistan’s commitment to peace should not be interpreted as weakness or as an indication that hostile actions would be tolerated indefinitely.
Tarar said Pakistan would protect its sovereignty, territorial integrity and citizens with full force.
He further warned that any additional provocative action by the Afghan Taliban would receive a strong and unequivocal response.
