The government rejects the Afghan Taliban’s claim that Pakistan is breaking the ceasefire

The Ministry of Information on Friday rejected the Afghan Taliban’s claim that Pakistan violated the temporary ceasefire, describing it as “frivolous”.

In a post on X, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information rejected the Afghan Taliban’s claim that the country had violated the temporary ceasefire, describing the claim as “frivolous”. The break, the ministry noted, had been initiated by Pakistan in accordance with Eidul Fitr.

The ministry’s “fact-checking” statement said there had been no violations of the temporary pause along the western border and that all such claims were completely false.

It suggested that the propaganda may have been circulated by opponents within the Taliban regime to create a pretext for Afghan Taliban-led terrorism or other actions.

The ministry emphasized that regardless of the source of these false allegations, Pakistan has clearly stated that any act of terrorism, cross-border attack, drone strike or similar action by the Afghan Taliban or its proxies would lead to immediate suspension of the temporary pause and resumption of Operation Ghazab Lil Haq with renewed intensity.

The statement also shared a message from the Afghan Defense Ministry accusing Pakistan of violating the ceasefire on the first day of Eid, which Kabul observed on Thursday.

Read: Pakistan, Afghanistan agree on Eid ceasefire, pause military operations

On Wednesday, Pakistan and Afghanistan announced a temporary pause in hostilities ahead of Eidul Fitr, in what appears to be a rare de-escalation after days of heightened cross-border tensions.

The ceasefire, announced separately by Islamabad and Kabul, will remain in effect from midnight on March 18/19 to midnight on March 23/24, with both sides warning that any violation could trigger an immediate resumption of military operations.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the decision was made in light of the upcoming Islamic festival and as a goodwill gesture, as well as in response to requests from “brotherly Islamic countries”, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye.

“In view of the upcoming Islamic festival Eidul Fitr, on its own initiative as well as at the request of the fraternal Islamic countries… the government of Pakistan has decided to announce a temporary pause amid the ongoing ‘Operation Ghazab-lil-Haq’ against terrorists and their support infrastructure in Afghanistan,” the minister said in a statement.

He added that the break was offered “in good faith and in accordance with Islamic norms”, but made it clear that the ceasefire was conditional.

“In the event of a cross-border attack, drone strike or terrorist incident inside Pakistan, Operation Ghazab Lil Haq will immediately resume with renewed intensity,” the statement warned.

Read more: DG ISPR rejects ‘ridiculous’ Afghan claims of targeting drug rehab center, says Pakistan hit ammunition depot

Earlier, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry rejected what he said was the “ridiculous” claim by Pakistan targeting a drug rehabilitation center in Afghanistan, saying the military had attacked an ammunition depot.

On Tuesday, the Taliban regime’s deputy spokesman, Hamdullah Fitrat, claimed in a post on X that an airstrike had hit the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital, killing up to 400 people in the Afghan capital overnight. However, Pakistan strongly rejected the Afghan Taliban’s claims, calling the allegations “completely baseless” and part of a wider pattern of disinformation aimed at distorting the facts.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar had said the strikes carried out were “precise, deliberate and professional”, targeting only military and terrorist infrastructure linked to attacks inside Pakistan. Meanwhile, an official said Reuters today, with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan putting the death toll in the alleged incident at 143.