ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan’s military on Saturday accused India of launching drone strikes and ballistic missile attacks into Afghanistan’s territory, a claim swiftly denied by both the Taliban and the Indian government.
In a press conference, military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry alleged that several Indian missiles had landed inside Afghanistan and that Indian drones had targeted areas across the border. He did not specify which parts of Afghanistan were allegedly struck or provide supporting evidence.
“India has fired missiles at Afghan soil and conducted drone attacks inside Afghanistan,” Chaudhry said. “With its aggression, deception and recklessness, India is pushing the region toward a dangerous conflict.”
The Taliban, who currently govern Afghanistan, rejected the claim, calling it “unfounded.” Indian officials have also denied the allegations, stating that India’s ongoing military operations have focused solely on “terrorist infrastructure” within Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
The accusations come as hostilities between India and Pakistan entered a fourth day, with both sides exchanging drone fire, artillery shelling, and aerial strikes — the most serious military escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors in decades.
Pakistan’s military has warned that India’s strikes threaten regional peace and stability. However, observers have expressed skepticism over the claim of Indian operations inside Afghanistan, noting the lack of corroborating evidence.
Former Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh, a vocal critic of Pakistan, praised India’s military actions, calling them “a strike against a common enemy.”
“Why shouldn’t we thank India for confronting our shared enemy?” Saleh wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “India has taken bold action. The least we can do is offer moral and political support to its counterterrorism efforts.”
Security analysts, however, cautioned that the intensifying conflict between India and Pakistan could have destabilizing consequences for Afghanistan and the wider region.
“The continuation of hostilities will have negative consequences for Afghanistan,” said Bismillah Taban, a Kabul-based security analyst. “Given the country’s fragile security situation and the presence of terrorist networks, this could create conditions for increased recruitment and cross-border activity.”
Economic experts also warned of rising costs as a result of the conflict. Sayed Masood, a university professor, said the crisis could drive up the prices of essential goods in Afghanistan by 30 to 70 percent and deepen the country’s dependence on trade with China and Central Asia.
The conflict between India and Pakistan erupted following an attack by gunmen on a group of Indian tourists in Kashmir last month, which left 26 civilians dead. India blamed Pakistan-based militants and launched strikes on what it described as “terrorist camps” inside Pakistani territory. New Delhi later claimed it had killed the leader of the militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed and several other operatives.
India has long accused Pakistan of harboring extremist groups that launch cross-border attacks. Pakistan, in turn, accuses India of supporting militant factions including the Pakistani Taliban and the Baloch Liberation Movement, some of whom it alleges operate from Afghan soil.
As both sides exchange accusations and escalate military operations, international observers have urged restraint to avoid a broader regional crisis.
