Pakistan Defense Minister Accuses Critics of Role in Attacks on Mosques, Civilians

Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif accused critics of Islamabad's policies of involvement in attacks on mosques, civilians, markets and schools.

Asif made the remarks on X on Tuesday, one day after Pakistani fighter jets conducted airstrikes on Kabul and Nangarhar provinces. Without naming the Taliban, he wrote that those making claims against Pakistan were responsible for targeting worshippers and killing civilians. He also accused them of drug smuggling and breaching commitments, stating that Pakistan had sheltered them for decades but received ingratitude in return.

Taliban officials claimed the nighttime attacks targeted a drug treatment center in Kabul, killing more than 400 people, mostly civilians. They condemned the strikes.

Pakistani officials rejected the Taliban claims, insisting the targets were military facilities and militants' residences.

The exchanges come amid extremely tense relations between Islamabad and the Taliban government in recent months over security issues and the presence of armed groups along the border.