Islamabad: Pakistan Friday said it considers itself in an “open war” with Afghanistan, as its forces killed more than 130 Taliban fighters in airstrikes in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia in response to what Islamabad described as the cross-border attack by the Afghan Taliban.
The 2,611-km-long border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is known as the Durand Line, which Kabul has not formally recognised.
“Our patience has run out. Now there is an open war between us…Now it will be ‘Dama Dam Mast Qalandar’. Pakistan’s army did not come from across the seas. We are your neighbours; we know your ins and outs,” Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said in a post on X.
His comments came hours after Pakistani forces launched attacks on multiple locations in Afghanistan under ‘Operation Ghazab lil Haq’ late Thursday night in response to what it claimed was “unprovoked firing” from across the border.
‘Dama Dam Mast Qalandar’ refers to a spiritual song associated with the Sindhi sufi saint Lal Shehbaz Qalandar. The phrase literally means “every breath is ecstasy of Qalandar’, but in common parlance, it refers to acting impulsively without considering the consequences.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence said in a statement that 55 soldiers of Pakistan’s military regime were killed in the retaliatory operations by Afghan forces along the Durand Line, Tolo News reported.
It added that during the operations, two headquarters and 19 check posts of the military regime were captured by Afghan forces.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held telephone conversations with his Turkish and Saudi counterparts to exchange views on the current situation.
During talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Dar “underscored that Pakistan responded befittingly to unprovoked Afghan aggression,” said the Foreign Office. “Both leaders emphasised the importance of peace and stability in the region and agreed to stay closely engaged on evolving developments,” the FO said.
Dar discussed with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan the recent regional developments, including the situation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, it said.
The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability in the region and agreed to stay closely engaged, it added.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia last year signed a joint defence agreement, pledging to come to the aid of each other in case of attacks by a third country.
China and Russia also expressed concern over the escalation and called on both sides to resolve their differences through diplomatic means.
China, which maintains close ties with Pakistan and Afghanistan through a tripartite mechanism, called on both sides to exercise calm and restraint, properly resolve their differences and disputes through dialogue and consultation, and realise a ceasefire as soon as possible to avoid more suffering.
Providing an update on the operation, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that at least 133 Afghan Taliban operatives were killed and more than 200 others injured.
“Afghan Taliban defence targets in Kabul, Paktia, and Kandahar were targeted, with the possibility of further casualties,” he said, adding that at least 27 posts of the Afghan Taliban regime were destroyed, and nine other posts were captured.
He claimed that two corps headquarters of the Afghan Taliban, three brigade headquarters, two ammunition depots, one logistics base, three battalion headquarters, two sector headquarters, and more than 80 tanks, artillery guns and armoured personnel vehicles had been destroyed.
State broadcaster PTV News reported that the Pakistan Air Force targeted the Afghan Taliban’s important military installations in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that Pakistan’s armed forces had responded befittingly to the open aggression by the Afghan Taliban.
“The cowardly enemy struck in the darkness of night. The Afghan Taliban made a despicable attempt to target innocent civilians,” he was quoted as saying by the interior ministry.
“The Afghan Taliban made a terrible mistake by attacking. They will have to face serious consequences. We will not allow our security to be compromised,” Naqvi added.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan would not compromise on peace and territorial integrity.
“Our armed forces’ response is comprehensive and decisive. Those who mistake our peace for weakness will face a strong response – and no one will be beyond reach,” Zardari said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz said that Pakistani forces “are fully capable of crushing any aggressive ambitions.”
“There will be no compromise on the defence of the beloved homeland and every aggression will be met with a befitting reply,” he added.
“The Pakistani armed forces are equipped with professional capabilities, high training and effective defence strategies and are fully capable of dealing with any internal or external challenge,” Shehbaz said.
Defence Minister Asif said that following the withdrawal of NATO forces, there was an expectation of peace in Afghanistan, with the Taliban focusing on the development of the Afghan people and regional stability.
“However, the Taliban turned Afghanistan into a colony of India. They gathered all the terrorists of the world in Afghanistan and began exporting terrorism,” he alleged, without providing any evidence in support of his claim.
“They deprived their own people of basic human rights. They snatched away the rights that Islam grants to women.”
Asif said that Pakistan made every effort to keep the situation normal through direct means and through friendly countries, and it also engaged in full-fledged diplomacy, but the “Taliban became a proxy for India”.
“Today, when attempts are being made to target Pakistan with aggression, our forces are giving a decisive response,” he said.
The Afghan Taliban has blamed the Pakistani army’s aggressive actions, including airstrikes on Kabul, for the escalation of the conflict.