ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has strongly condemned the Afghan Taliban for six unprovoked cross-border shelling attacks in March and April 2026 that resulted in the martyrdom of nine innocent Pakistani civilians, including six children and women, and left 12 others injured in Bajaur district. The minister also highlighted a recent quadcopter drone strike by Afghan Taliban forces that wounded three more civilians who were playing cricket in the Shahi Tangi area, identifying the attackers as Indian-sponsored proxy terrorists.
The attacks represent a dangerous escalation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and expose the Afghan Taliban regime's continued complicity with hostile foreign intelligence agencies - specifically India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) - in waging a proxy war against Pakistan.
Addressing the media in Islamabad, Minister Tarar detailed the systematic targeting of civilian populations by Afghan Taliban forces:
"The Afghan Taliban forces have carried out six unprovoked shelling attacks in the months of March and April. These cowardly acts resulted in the martyrdom of nine innocent Pakistanis - including six children and women - and injured twelve others. This is not warfare. This is terrorism. This is state-sponsored terrorism with Indian fingerprints all over it."
The attacks deliberately targeted residential areas, with shells landing in:
Mamond area - Multiple civilian homes destroyed
Salarzai area - Women and children among casualties
Shahi Tangi area - Recent quadcopter drone strike targeted civilians playing cricket
The quadcopter drone strike in Shahi Tangi is particularly notable as it represents a new tactic by Afghan Taliban forces - using unmanned aerial vehicles to deliberately target Pakistani civilians engaged in recreational activities.
Minister Tarar explicitly identified India as the hidden hand behind the Afghan Taliban's cross-border aggression:
"These are Indian-sponsored proxy terrorists. The Afghan Taliban regime is acting as a surrogate for India's hostile intelligence agencies. RAW is using Afghan soil to destabilize Pakistan, and the Afghan Taliban is willingly cooperating. The world must see this for what it is: Indian state-sponsored terrorism against Pakistan."
The minister reminded the international community that India has a long history of using Afghan territory against Pakistan, dating back to the 1990s. The return of the Taliban to power in 2021 has only deepened New Delhi's access to Pakistani terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil.
The Bajaur shelling incidents are part of a broader escalation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border that began in late February 2026. This escalation has included:
Cross-border artillery and mortar strikes by Afghan Taliban forces
Attempted infiltrations by terrorists affiliated with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
Drone attacks targeting Pakistani civilian areas
Targeted killings of tribal elders and civilians in border villages
In response, Pakistan has conducted precision airstrikes against terrorist hideouts inside Afghanistan, targeting TTP safe havens that operate with the knowledge and support of the Afghan Taliban regime.
The exchange of fire has resulted in civilian casualties on both sides of the border. While Minister Tarar detailed Pakistan's civilian losses, he also noted that Pakistan's airstrikes target only confirmed terrorist infrastructure - not civilians - in stark contrast to the Afghan Taliban's deliberate targeting of Pakistani residential areas.
Pakistan has repeatedly invited international observers, including the United Nations, to verify the precision and legitimacy of its counterterrorism operations. No such invitation has been extended by the Afghan Taliban regime regarding its cross-border shelling of Pakistani villages.
The United Nations has called for de-escalation and restraint along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. However, Afghan Taliban forces have continued their attacks, including the recent quadcopter drone strike on civilians playing cricket in Shahi Tangi.
Minister Tarar questioned the UN's silence on Indian-sponsored terrorism:
"Where is the United Nations when Indian proxies shell Pakistani villages? Where is the condemnation when women and children are martyred in their homes? The silence of international bodies in the face of Indian state-sponsored terrorism is deafening - and it is unacceptable."
The minister reiterated Pakistan's right to defend its sovereignty and its citizens under international law:
"Pakistan reserves the right to respond to any act of aggression in self-defense. We have exercised restraint. We have prioritized diplomacy. But when our children are killed while playing cricket in their own village - targeted by an Indian-sponsored drone - restraint has its limits."
Pakistan has consistently called on the Afghan Taliban regime to:
Honor its commitments under the Doha Agreement and bilateral understandings
Prevent the use of Afghan soil for attacks against Pakistan
Take action against Indian intelligence operatives operating from Afghan territory
Halt all cross-border shelling and drone attacks targeting civilians
To date, the Afghan Taliban regime has neither acknowledged these demands nor taken meaningful action to comply.
Despite the cross-border attacks, Pakistan's security forces continue to conduct anti-terrorism operations within Pakistani territory under the vision of Azm-e-Istehkam. These operations have successfully:
Neutralized hundreds of terrorists attempting to infiltrate from Afghanistan
Dismantled terrorist networks operating in Khyber Pakhtunkhva and Balochistan
Seized weapons, ammunition, and explosives destined for terrorist attacks
Minister Tarar praised the professionalism and restraint of Pakistani security forces in the face of continued provocation:
"Our forces have shown remarkable discipline. They could have responded with overwhelming force. They chose restraint. But even patience has limits when children are being martyred."
Minister Tarar called on the international community to break its silence on India's sponsorship of terrorism:
"For years, India has used Afghan soil to destabilize Pakistan. RAW's fingerprints are on every major terrorist attack inside Pakistan. Now, India has found a willing partner in the Afghan Taliban regime. The international community must hold India accountable for its state-sponsored terrorism."
He noted that India's hostility toward Pakistan has only intensified following its military defeat in the May 2025 four-day war, where the Pakistan Air Force destroyed seven Indian fighter jets while suffering zero losses. Unable to confront Pakistan directly, New Delhi has intensified its proxy war through Afghan-based terrorist groups.
Minister Tarar highlighted the recent quadcopter drone strike on civilians playing cricket in Shahi Tangi as particularly emblematic of the enemy's cowardice:
"What kind of enemy targets unarmed civilians playing cricket? What kind of regime bombs a cricket field? Not an army. Not a government. Iranian-sponsored and Indian-sponsored proxies who fear direct confrontation with Pakistan's armed forces."
The attack on civilians playing cricket - Pakistan's national sport - has been widely condemned across the country, with social media campaigns demanding international action against the Afghan Taliban and its Indian backers.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry has launched a diplomatic offensive to:
Document Afghan Taliban cross-border attacks for international bodies
Present evidence of Indian RAW operatives active in Afghanistan
Build international consensus for designating the Afghan Taliban regime's forces as a terrorist entity
Secure greater pressure on India to cease its state-sponsored terrorism
As Pakistan mourns nine innocent civilians martyred by Indian-sponsored Afghan Taliban shelling in Bajaur, the nation stands united behind its armed forces and government. The attacks - including the cowardly drone strike on civilians playing cricket - have only strengthened Pakistan's resolve to defend its sovereignty and expose its enemies.
Minister Tarar's message to India and the Afghan Taliban was unequivocal:
"You will not break Pakistan's spirit. You will not divide our nation. You will not succeed in your proxy war. Pakistan's armed forces stand ready. Pakistan's citizens stand united. And history will judge those who spill innocent blood."
