Pressmediaofindia
Related Articles
11-10-2025
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD/ KABUL:The Taliban have blamed Pakistan for an explosion in Kabul and another in the eastern Afghanistan province of Paktika on Thursday, amid mounting tensions between the neighbors and shifting allegiances in South Asia that have alarmed Islamabad.
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid had confirmed that an explosion had been heard in Kabul, saying the cause was under investigation, on Thursday, but at the time downplayed its severity. He did not ascribe any blame.
“An explosion was heard in Kabul city,” he posted on social media platform X in Pashto but “don’t worry, it’s all good and well. The accident is under investigation, and no injuries have been reported yet. So far there is no report of any harm done” but on Friday, the Afghan Defence Ministry blamed Pakistan for the Kabul and Paktika blasts, without sharing any details.
The incident came amid plummeting relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which has accused the Taliban government – in power since August 2021 of providing safe havens to armed groups, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which Islamabad blames for a surge in attacks on its security forces.
The explosions also coincided with the arrival on Thursday of the Taliban administration’s foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, in India for a six-day visit, the first such trip since the Taliban’s return to power.
Following the Kabul explosions, speculation swirled on social media that Pakistan was behind the attack, allegedly targeting senior TTP leaders, including its chief, Noor Wali Mehsud. Afghan officials have since said that Mehsud is safe.
Asked at a press conference on Friday if the Pakistani military had attacked Afghanistan to assassinate TTP leaders, the country’s army spokesman Ahmad Sharif did not either confirm or deny the accusation.
“Afghanistan is being used as a base of operations against Pakistan, and there is proof and evidence of that,” Sharif said. “The necessary measures that should be taken to protect the lives and property of the people of Pakistan will be taken and will continue to be taken.”
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to media queries about the explosion.
Once seen as heavily backed by Pakistan, the Afghan Taliban have been trying to recalibrate their foreign policy, engaging regional powers such as India, their former adversary, in a bid to secure eventual diplomatic recognition.
Pakistan, meanwhile, has accused India of supporting armed groups operating on its soil, a charge New Delhi denies.
After a bloody 2024, one of Pakistan’s deadliest years in nearly a decade, with more than 2,500 people killed in violence, both countries tried to reset their relationship.
Pakistan’s deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar visited Kabul in April, with senior leadership on both sides holding a series of meetings, often mediated by China. That process led to upgraded diplomatic ties and a brief lull in violence over the summer.
Yet, according to the Pakistan Institute of Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based think tank, violence in the first three quarters of 2025 nearly matched the entire toll of 2024.
TTP remains the singular cause for the increasing attacks since 2021, according to US-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED).
“Our data show that the TTP engaged in at least 600 attacks against, or clashes with, security forces in the past year alone. Its activity in 2025 so far already exceeds that seen in all of 2024,” a recent report by the ACLED pointed out.
