Info ministry rubbishes reports of Pakistan targeting varsity, residential areas in Afghanistan's Kunar

The information ministry on Monday rubbished reports by the Afghan media alleging Pakistan carried out attacks targeting a university and residential areas in the neighbouring country’s Kunar province.

In a post on X, the ministry shared a screenshot of a social media post by Afghan news outlet Tolo News, which claimed that Pakistan had carried out attacks on the Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani University and residential areas.

The information ministry said the Afghan media’s claim was a “blatant lie and an attempt to gain sympathy to cover up support [provided] by Afghan Taliban to Fitna al Khawarij”.

Fitna al Khawarij is a term that the state has designated for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP). Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Afghan Taliban to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on its soil, particularly those linked to the banned TTP. Officials say those appeals have gone unheeded.

Pakistan, meanwhile, is carrying out Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against the Afghan Taliban and terrorists operating from its soil. It was lau­nched on the night of Feb 26, following unprovoked cross-border attacks by the Afghan Taliban.

“Pakistan’s targeting is precise and intelligence-based,” the information ministry said on Monday. It added that no strike had been carried out on the Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani University, adding that the claims were “frivolous and fake”.

“The pattern is a page of the old playbook where Afghan media creates fake news to cover up the support to terrorist groups and proxies like the Fitna al Khawarij and gets amplification from Indian media. Truth prevails over falsehood,” it said.

In another post, the ministry shared a screenshot of a post by an X account, which reiterated the claim of strikes in Kunar.

Labelling it “fake propaganda”, the ministry said: “Continuous propaganda around phantom strikes in Kunar by Afghan media and officials backed by the Indian propagandists indicate that the Afghan Taliban regime, having nothing to offer to [its] citizens in terms of service, welfare and governance, only relies on misinformation and hate.”

It said the propaganda also indicated that “the only thing they have learnt from their Indian propaganda masters is lies and false flag operations”.

“Such pathetic antics and vile accusations are absurd. It should, however, be clear that as part of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, whenever and wherever Pakistan strikes the Afghan-based terror infrastructure, it will be as per previous actions, well declared, fully owned and backed by precise evidence of targeting terror support infrastructure,” the ministry said.