Overview
- Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Pakistan has completely lost hope in the Taliban authorities and declared attempts to reset ties a failure.
- Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid accused Pakistan of overnight strikes in Khost, Kunar and Paktika that he said killed 10 people and promised an appropriate response.
- Pakistan’s military spokesman Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry rejected the allegations as baseless, saying Pakistan has not attacked Afghanistan and does not target civilians.
- Asif contrasted Pakistan’s disciplined forces with what he called a ragtag Taliban group and dismissed Kabul’s claims of cross-border attacks by Islamabad.
- Diplomacy remains stalled after a Qatar- and Turkey-brokered ceasefire and talks failed to yield written, verifiable commitments from Kabul, with tensions heightened by a recent suicide bombing in Peshawar that killed three officers and injured 11.