India denies Pakistan's claim of role in Taliban-Pakistan tensions

Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India's Ministry of External Affairs, rejected Islamabad's accusation that New Delhi played a role in escalating recent conflicts between the Taliban and Pakistan, calling it "baseless." Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Jaiswal said Pakistan habitually blames India for its own mistakes and lacks credibility due to its history of supporting terrorism and cross-border militancy.

Tensions along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border have intensified over the past two weeks, with both sides accusing each other of artillery strikes, airstrikes and casualties. The clashes began on February 26 and have continued intermittently along the Durand Line. Pakistan claims it targets armed groups operating from Afghan soil, including the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which it holds responsible for attacks inside Pakistan. The Taliban deny sheltering militants, calling the TTP issue an internal Pakistani matter.

The Taliban Defense Ministry claimed in retaliatory operations along the border that 327 Pakistani soldiers were killed, a figure not independently verified. Pakistan, in turn, stated its airstrikes killed at least 580 Taliban members, a claim dismissed by the Taliban Defense Ministry as baseless. The UN mission in Afghanistan confirmed earlier this month that Pakistani strikes in Behsud and Khogyani districts of Nangarhar killed at least 13 civilians and wounded seven others, including women and children.

India has condemned Pakistan's airstrikes in Afghanistan as violations of Afghan sovereignty that killed civilians. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged both sides to de-escalate and resolve disputes through dialogue.

Additional impacts include suspended trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan, with Taliban spokesperson Khan Jan Alkozi stating Pakistan has lost around $200 million monthly in trade over four months. Afghanistan is shifting trade to China, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. Protests by Taliban supporters and Afghan residents in London condemned Pakistani attacks on civilians and called for international pressure.