Pakistan and Afghanistan have exchanged diplomatic protests after a deadly attack in Karachi and Pakistani airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan, further escalating tensions between the neighboring countries.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said it summoned the chargé d’affaires of the Talban Embassy in Islamabad to lodge a strong protest over the recent attack on a Rangers facility in Karachi, where three Pakistani security personnel were killed. Islamabad claimed that several Afghan nationals were involved in the assault, including one suspected attacker who was captured while wounded. Pakistan also said its ambassador in Kabul, Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani, delivered the same protest to authorities.
Kabul’s Foreign Ministry responded by summoning Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires , condemning Pakistani airstrikes on the eastern provinces of Paktia, Paktika and Kunar. Zabihullah Mujahid said the strikes killed 36 civilians, including women and children, and wounded 163 others, describing the attacks as a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty and international law.
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated sharply over the past two years as Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan-based militants, including the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), of carrying out attacks inside Pakistan. Taliban authorities have consistently rejected the allegations, insisting they do not allow Afghanistan territory to be used against any neighboring country.
The latest diplomatic row follows a series of cross-border military operations and security incidents. Pakistan recently announced operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan in which it said 15 militants were killed, while the Karachi attack marked one of the most serious security incidents in the country’s largest city in recent months.
Pakistan says its air operations targeted militant hideouts and killed armed fighters. Taliban authorities reject that claim, saying only residential areas were hit. The exchange of accusations has pushed bilateral relations to one of their lowest points in recent years, raising concerns about further military escalation along the shared border.
