Published on: August 30, 2025 2:56 AM
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday confirmed that Afghanistan issued a demarche to Islamabad’s ambassador in Kabul, after they alleged that Pakistan carried out drone strikes across the border.
At least three people were killed and seven wounded in two separate incidents in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar and Khost provinces, which Afghan authorities claimed were strikes carried out by Pakistan. There was no official word from Islamabad, and Afghan authorities did not provide any evidence of Pakistan’s involvement in the incidents.
Fielding questions after a press briefing in Islamabad, Dar said that he had just returned from travelling and was still “going through the system”. However, he added that had received a copy of the letter to Pakistan’s ambassador but did not elaborate on why it was issued.
“I’m still going through the system, but they handed our ambassador a letter, which is called a demarche,” the foreign minister said. “This needs investigation, to look into the situation and why it is happening right now, it’s too early to say anything.”
He did not respond to the question whether Pakistan was involved in the alleged strikes.
Replying to another question, Dar said that Islamabad had “only one ask” from Kabul, that being to either handle the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and not let its soil be used for terrorist attacks in Pakistan.
“We asked them ‘please take these people away from our borders or hand them over to us, whatever you choose’,” Dar said.
“Their development and stability is in our interest. Imagine what a massive mutual benefit there will be once the railroad gets off the ground,” he said, referring to the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan Railway project.
“Once the railway system is complete, you will have connectivity with these Central Asian states, it’ll be a different ballgame.” The foreign minister said he has no doubts regarding Kabul’s intentions and noted its intention to cooperate with Pakistan.
“During my bilateral meeting with [Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi], I said ‘this is a bilateral border and a very large one, please do what you can to control your side’. There is no resistance there.”
Islamabad has repeatedly warned Kabul to prevent its soil from being used to stage attacks in Pakistan, and that it is fully capable of targeting terrorists who carry out such attacks.
Meanwhile, Dar announced that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will resume its flight operations to the UK starting September 2025.
He stated that flights from Pakistan to Manchester are expected to begin in September 2025, with three to four flights operating weekly. He added that there is great enthusiasm among the public about the resumption of direct flights.
Earlier it was reported that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has made significant progress in its preparations to resume flight operations to the United Kingdom.
As per details, a two-member PIA delegation has arrived in Manchester to assess arrangements ahead of the airline’s first resumed flight. The team comprises Chief Operating Officer Khurram Mushtaq and General Manager Coordination Zulqarnain Mehdi.
