Pakistan rejects Taliban claim that weapons are being smuggled into Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting rejected claims by Afghanistan’s Taliban interim government that weapons are being smuggled from Pakistan into Afghanistan for “subversive activities,” calling the allegations baseless and inconsistent with established facts.

In a statement posted on X on Sunday, the ministry said Afghanistan already has large quantities of weapons and military equipment left behind after the withdrawal of US and coalition forces, which it estimated were worth $7.2 billion, as well as stocks of Soviet-era weaponry accumulated over decades of conflict.

The ministry said attempts to link such weapons to Pakistan were intended to divert international attention from what it described as the presence of militant groups operating from Afghan soil and planning, supporting, and carrying out attacks inside Pakistan.

It called on the Taliban authorities to address what it described as terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan and to honor commitments that Afghan territory would not be used for terrorism against Pakistan or any other country.