Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has categorically rejected allegations by the Afghan Taliban regarding the alleged smuggling of weapons from Pakistan into Afghanistan, describing the claims as baseless, contrary to established facts, and an apparent attempt to divert international attention from the actual security challenges originating from Afghan territory.
In a statement, the Ministry said that attempts to attribute the presence of weapons in Afghanistan to Pakistan disregard the country’s long-standing accumulation of arms and military equipment resulting from decades of conflict, as well as the substantial quantities of sophisticated weapons left behind following the withdrawal of United States and allied forces.
According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Afghanistan already possesses a substantial stockpile of modern weapons and military equipment left behind following the withdrawal of US and allied forces.
The Ministry placed the estimated value of this abandoned equipment at approximately US$7.2 billion, arguing that its presence provides an important context for understanding the continued availability of weapons inside Afghanistan.
The statement emphasized that the existence of such extensive military equipment on Afghan territory predates the current allegations concerning alleged weapons transfers from Pakistan.
The Ministry therefore rejected attempts to attribute Afghanistan’s weapons stockpiles principally to Pakistan, describing such claims as inconsistent with the established history of military equipment accumulated within Afghanistan over several decades.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting also pointed to Afghanistan’s large stocks of Soviet-era weapons and military equipment, accumulated during decades of conflict.
The prolonged wars fought on Afghan soil resulted in the circulation and accumulation of weapons from multiple sources and eras.
According to Pakistan, these longstanding stockpiles remain an important factor behind the availability of arms across Afghanistan and should be considered when assessing claims concerning the origin of weapons found within the country.
The Ministry argued that reducing the complex history of Afghanistan’s weapons stockpiles to allegations of Pakistani arms smuggling overlooks the broader and well-documented legacy of decades of warfare.
The Ministry stated that efforts to associate weapons found in Afghanistan with Pakistan could serve to shift international attention away from a more serious and immediate concern: the continued presence and activities of terrorist groups on Afghan soil.
According to the statement, terrorist organizations operating from Afghanistan continue to pose a security concern for neighbouring countries, particularly Pakistan.
The Ministry alleged that such groups continue to receive varying degrees of sanctuary, facilitation, and operational freedom on Afghan territory.
Pakistan maintains that terrorist elements based in Afghanistan have used Afghan soil to plan, facilitate, and conduct attacks against Pakistan.
The Ministry urged the Afghan Taliban authorities to focus their attention on addressing the presence of terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory rather than making what Pakistan described as unsupported allegations against its neighbour.
The statement called on Afghan authorities to take effective and verifiable action against terrorist safe havens and networks operating within Afghanistan.
Pakistan reiterated that Afghan territory must not be permitted to serve as a launching pad for terrorist activities against Pakistan or any other country.
The Ministry emphasized that the responsibility for preventing Afghan territory from being used for terrorism rests with the authorities exercising control over the country.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting further called upon the Afghan authorities to honour their commitments regarding the prevention of terrorism emanating from Afghan soil.
Pakistan stressed that Afghanistan should ensure that its territory is not used for planning, facilitating, financing, or launching terrorist attacks against neighbouring states or any other country.
The statement underscored that regional peace and stability require concrete action rather than allegations and counter-allegations.
Pakistan’s response comes against the backdrop of persistent security concerns along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and Islamabad’s repeated calls for Afghan authorities to prevent militant groups from operating from Afghan territory.
Pakistan has consistently maintained that the presence of armed groups and their alleged ability to operate from Afghanistan represents a major regional security challenge.
The Ministry’s latest statement therefore places the dispute over alleged weapons smuggling within a broader debate over the sources of insecurity in the region.
From Islamabad’s perspective, the key issue is not simply the origin of individual weapons recovered or identified inside Afghanistan, but the continued existence of armed networks capable of using Afghan territory to plan and facilitate attacks.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting reiterated that allegations linking Pakistan to the supply of weapons into Afghanistan are not supported by the facts presented by the Ministry.
Instead, Pakistan argues that Afghanistan’s extensive weapons holdings can be traced to multiple historical sources, including military equipment left behind following the withdrawal of US and allied forces and large quantities of Soviet-era weapons accumulated during decades of conflict.
The Ministry maintained that these factors must be taken into account before assigning responsibility for the presence of weapons on Afghan territory.
At the same time, Pakistan called for greater attention to what it considers the more immediate threat posed by terrorist organizations operating from Afghan soil.
Pakistan has rejected the Afghan Taliban’s allegations of arms smuggling from Pakistan into Afghanistan, calling them baseless and contrary to established facts.
According to Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Afghanistan already possesses substantial quantities of military equipment, including an estimated US$7.2 billion worth of weapons and military equipment left behind following the withdrawal of US and allied forces, in addition to extensive Soviet-era stockpiles accumulated during decades of conflict.
The Ministry argues that attempts to attribute these weapons to Pakistan risk diverting international attention from what Islamabad considers the central security concern: the continued presence and alleged operation of terrorist groups from Afghan territory.
Pakistan has called upon the Afghan authorities to take effective action against terrorist safe havens, fulfil their commitments, and ensure that Afghan soil is not used to plan, facilitate, or execute terrorist attacks against Pakistan or any other country.
Islamabad has reiterated that lasting regional stability will require verifiable action, responsible conduct, and cooperation on security concerns, rather than allegations that Pakistan considers unsupported by the available facts.
