Pakistan conducting operations along border to protect citizens: FO

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has said its recent counterterrorism actions along the border are aimed at protecting its citizens from militant groups, while reiterating that the country fully respects Afghanistan’s sovereignty and remains committed to dialogue.

At a weekly media briefing on Friday, according to Geo.tv, Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan avoided commenting on reports of strikes inside Afghan territory, saying only that Pakistan’s “security forces and law enforcement agencies carry out intelligence-based operations to neutralise threats posed by groups such as the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Fitna al-Khwarij.” These actions, he said, are “carefully planned and executed with precision.”

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Khan stressed that Pakistan continues to prioritise diplomacy despite facing security threats from across the border. “We urge the Afghan authorities to ensure that their territory is not used as a launch pad for attacks against Pakistan,” he said, describing the TTP as a “shared menace” that undermines peace across the region.

He added that counterterrorism remains central to Pakistan’s engagement with Kabul, and that the issue is regularly raised “from the prime minister’s level to senior officials.”

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Responding to a question about the Afghan interim foreign minister’s visit to India, the spokesperson said Afghanistan’s external relations were its own sovereign matter. “Our only expectation is that Afghan soil should not be used against Pakistan,” he said.

On reports that Pakistan had offered the United States access to a seaport at Pasni, Khan clarified that no official proposal had been finalised, adding that Islamabad’s focus remains on economic stability and maintaining “balanced relations free from bloc politics.”