Pakistan lodges demarche with Afghan authorities over airspace violations

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office has lodged a demarche with Afghan authorities in the country over violations of Pakistani airspace by Afghanistan, a spokesperson for the ministry said.

The spokesperson said the demarche, in the form of a protest note, was delivered to the Afghan side on September 26.

The move follows an earlier demarche, which the Foreign Ministry said was the last one issued to the Afghan authorities before this. That protest note was handed over on September 23 over the violation of Pakistani airspace by drones.

Pakistan carried out precision air and drone strikes on 10 locations in Afghanistan following what Information Minister Attaullah Tarar described as a deliberate drone incursion from Afghan territory on September 23. Pakistan’s air defence systems detected, tracked and neutralised all the drones before they reached their intended targets. He said the subsequent strikes targeted sites allegedly used to launch and store the drones and were limited to identified military objectives linked to the attempted attacks. Tarar warned that any further violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty would draw an immediate response, saying Islamabad would not tolerate attacks launched from Afghan territory. He also called on the Afghan Taliban administration to take concrete and sustained action against militant groups operating from its soil. At the same time, Tarar said Pakistan did not seek escalation and remained committed to regional peace, dialogue and constructive engagement.

The exchange comes as ties between the two neighbours worsen over recent violence. On Saturday, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) said it was behind an attack near the Aman Mela checkpoint in Dera Ismail Khan district. Police officials said at least 12 people were killed and more than 30 injured.

Islamabad has long maintained that the Taliban administration shelters the TTP and other armed groups, which it says operate from Afghan soil to plan and launch cross-border attacks. Kabul denies giving militants safe haven and describes Pakistan’s security troubles as a domestic matter.

Kabul also accused Islamabad of backing Daesh-affiliated groups, with the Afghan Taliban government claiming its forces killed 28 militants and detained 32 others in northeastern Nuristan province. Afghan officials alleged that Pakistan had sent several Daesh-linked groups into Afghanistan to carry out attacks. Pakistan rejected the allegation, saying it had no involvement and that Kabul had provided no evidence.