ISLAMABAD (Dispatches) -- 
Pakistan on Monday categorically rejected allegations by Afghanistan’s Taliban administration that Pakistani military operations had caused civilian casualties, as the two neighbors remained locked in an escalating dispute over cross-border militancy that has strained relations for months.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said in a statement that the Taliban’s claims were “baseless and unsubstantiated,” asserting that attacks originating from Afghan soil had resulted in more than 3,500 casualties in Pakistan during 2026 alone. 
The statement accused the Taliban regime of sheltering militant groups including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the Balochistan Liberation Army, and urged the international community to hold Kabul accountable for what Islamabad describes as its failure to rein in armed groups operating from Afghan territory. 
Pakistan maintained that its actions were conducted in self-defense and directed exclusively at terrorist infrastructure. The Taliban have previously denied harboring militants, calling cross-border militancy Pakistan’s domestic issue.
The exchange marked the latest deterioration in relations between the two countries, which have traded recriminations over security responsibility throughout the year. 
Border crossings have been repeatedly closed, and diplomatic engagement has remained minimal, with neither side showing willingness to concede ground on the core dispute.
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck the Hindu Kush region late Sunday, with tremors felt in Kabul and parts of northwestern Pakistan, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre reported. There were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage. The region is seismically active and frequently experiences moderate tremors.
Separately, the Afghan Freedom Front, an armed opposition group, claimed responsibility for rocket attacks on Bagram airfield, alleging casualties among Taliban personnel. The claims could not be independently verified and no Taliban official response was immediately available. 
The group has previously asserted responsibility for attacks targeting Taliban positions, though such claims are difficult to confirm independently given restrictions on media access in parts of the country.