Pakistan not seeking regime change in Afghanistan, security official says
Bloomberg reported, citing an unnamed senior Pakistani security official, that Islamabad is not seeking regime change in Afghanistan and that its military operations are focused on militant groups.
The official said in a statement sent to journalists on Tuesday, March 3, that Pakistan has “no rush” to end its military campaign and will continue strikes until armed groups targeting Pakistan are eliminated.
“Pakistan has no haste to conclude its military operations in Afghanistan,” the official was quoted as saying, adding that action would continue as long as militants operate from across the border.
He said the duration of the operations would depend on what he described as the Taliban authorities’ “ground actions” to dismantle militant networks and that Pakistan seeks “verifiable guarantees” such groups no longer function there.
The official claimed Pakistan has targeted militant hideouts and infrastructure in recent days, not civilians, amid accusations from Kabul of civilian casualties.
According to him, around 180 locations used by anti-Pakistan militant groups have been destroyed and more than 30 Taliban border posts have been seized by Pakistani forces.
The Taliban have not formally responded to the specific claims made in the statement cited by Bloomberg.
However, Taliban Defense Ministry spokesperson Enayatullah Khwarazmi said in Kabul that 150 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 200 wounded, while 28 Taliban fighters died, as fighting entered its seventh day.
At the same time, hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees in Pakistan have faced forced returns, detention and mounting pressure amid tightening immigration enforcement measures.
Refugees and rights groups have reported cases of harassment, property confiscation and public humiliation during deportation drives targeting undocumented Afghans across major Pakistani cities.
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