Islamabad, October 12, 2025: President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday declared that Pakistan would make “no compromise on national sovereignty” after the country’s security forces destroyed multiple Afghan border posts in overnight retaliatory strikes against Afghan Taliban attacks along the frontier.
According to PTV News, security sources said Pakistan had captured 19 Afghan posts from where attacks were launched into its territory. “The Afghan Taliban present at the posts have been killed and the rest have fled for their lives,” the report quoted the sources as saying, adding that fires erupted at several posts during the exchange.
Radio Pakistan reported that the Taliban’s Manojba Battalion Headquarters, Jandusar Post, Turkmenzai Camp, and Kharchar Fort were “completely destroyed” in the strikes. The retaliatory action came after heavy firing from the Afghan side, which Pakistani officials said aimed to facilitate infiltration by Khawarij formations—a term used by the state for militants belonging to banned groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Security officials said “dozens of Afghan soldiers and Khawarij” were killed, while others abandoned their posts and fled.
Zardari: attacks from Afghan soil ‘well-documented reality’
President Zardari, in a statement, said United Nations monitoring reports confirmed that terrorist attacks have been launched from Afghan soil, reiterating that Pakistan remained “firmly committed to safeguarding its sovereignty and regional security.”
He said the attacks by India-backed Khawarij terrorists operating from Afghan territory were “a well-documented reality,” adding that both Pakistani civilians and security personnel had been targeted through the “nexus of Indian-sponsored Khawarij and other terror outfits.”
The president urged the interim Afghan government to take “concrete and verifiable action” against anti-Pakistan terrorist elements and called terrorism “the greatest threat to regional peace and stability.”
“Terrorism is a shared challenge, and its burden cannot be placed on any single country,” Zardari said, emphasizing that Pakistan desired relations with Afghanistan built on mutual respect and counterterrorism cooperation.
He also lamented that the Afghan interim administration had “turned away from the just struggle of the oppressed people of Indian-occupied Kashmir,” calling it “an injustice to both history and the Muslim Ummah.”
Highlighting Pakistan’s decades-long hospitality toward millions of Afghan refugees, Zardari said their dignified repatriation was in the interest of both nations. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to supporting Afghanistan’s humanitarian and educational needs, while asserting that “no compromise will ever be made on Pakistan’s sovereignty.”
Shehbaz: Army’s response ‘strong and effective’
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned Afghanistan’s provocation, asserting that “every act of aggression will be met with a strong and effective response.”
“We are proud of the professional excellence of our armed forces,” he said, commending the “bold leadership of Field Marshal Asim Munir” and praising the military for a “crushing response” to Afghan attacks.
“Our defence is in strong hands, and we know how to defend every inch of our motherland,” the premier stated, adding that the army had “always given a decisive response to external aggression.”
Shehbaz said Pakistan had repeatedly provided intelligence and warnings to Kabul about terrorist groups — including Fitna-al-Khawarij (TTP) and Fitna-al-Hindustan (Balochistan-based networks) — using Afghan soil to stage cross-border attacks.
“These terrorist groups are being supported by certain elements within Afghanistan,” he said, expressing hope that the Afghan interim government would prevent its territory from being used against Pakistan.
Naqvi: ‘No provocation will be tolerated’
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also praised the security forces’ prompt and effective response, calling Afghanistan’s firing on civilians “a blatant violation of international law.”
“Pakistan’s forces have answered aggression with strength and will tolerate no provocation,” Naqvi said on X. “The people of Pakistan stand with their brave armed forces like a wall of steel. Afghanistan will be given a befitting reply, just as India was.”
PTV News released multiple videos showing Afghan posts engulfed in flames and Afghan soldiers surrendering to Pakistani forces in Kurram.
Kabul’s response
In Kabul, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid urged Pakistan to “desist from using force, as such actions will have negative consequences.”
Speaking at a press conference, Mujahid alleged that “certain elements within the Pakistani security establishment want to destabilise Afghanistan,” warning that Kabul “possesses weapons to respond.”
He claimed the Afghan side had made “efforts to resolve issues with Pakistan” but accused Islamabad of escalation.
