Pakistan Rejects Afghan Media Claims of University Strike as ‘False Propaganda’

Pakistan has strongly refuted Afghan media reports claiming its military forces conducted an airstrike on a university in Afghanistan’s eastern Kunar province, dismissing the allegations as fabricated and politically motivated.

In an official statement issued Monday from Islamabad, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting responded to claims broadcast by Afghanistan’s TOLOnews that Pakistani forces had targeted Syed Jamaluddin Afghan University and surrounding residential areas. The Afghan media outlet had reported that the alleged attack resulted in three deaths and left 45 people injured.

“These allegations are entirely false,” the ministry declared in its statement. Pakistani officials characterized the reports as a calculated attempt to generate international sympathy while deflecting attention from internal issues within Afghanistan.

The statement emphasized that Pakistani security operations are conducted exclusively on the basis of verified intelligence and target specific threats. Officials insisted that Pakistan’s military doctrine explicitly prohibits attacks on civilian infrastructure, particularly educational institutions.

This incident occurs against a backdrop of increasingly strained relations between the neighboring countries. Since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, tensions have periodically flared along the disputed 2,600-kilometer border known as the Durand Line, with both sides occasionally accusing each other of harboring militants.

Security analysts familiar with the region note that information warfare has become a significant component of the complex Pakistan-Afghanistan relationship. Dr. Amir Khan, a regional security expert at the Institute for Strategic Studies in Islamabad, explained that “allegations of cross-border strikes have become increasingly common, with both sides using media narratives to shape international opinion.”

The Pakistani statement further suggested that the false reports are part of a pattern in which unsubstantiated claims are circulated through certain media outlets and then amplified beyond Afghanistan, particularly in regional media. According to Pakistani authorities, this represents a coordinated effort to damage Pakistan’s international standing.

Pakistani officials also connected these allegations to broader security concerns, suggesting that such reporting attempts to divert attention from what they describe as support for militant elements referred to as “Fitna al-Khawarij” – a term used by Pakistani authorities to describe certain extremist factions.

International observers have long noted the challenges in independently verifying incidents along the remote and mountainous Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The area’s difficult terrain and limited access for journalists make it particularly susceptible to competing narratives.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has not issued any statement regarding the alleged incident. In the past, UNAMA has documented civilian casualties from various forms of violence, including cross-border incidents, but verification typically requires substantial ground investigation.

Economic stakes further complicate relations between the neighbors. Pakistan serves as a crucial trade corridor for landlocked Afghanistan, with billions of dollars in annual trade flowing through official and unofficial channels across their shared border.

As of Tuesday, Afghan authorities had not responded to Pakistan’s denial. The Taliban government, which remains unrecognized by most nations including Pakistan, has previously accused Islamabad of violating Afghanistan’s sovereignty through cross-border operations.

The Pakistani ministry concluded its statement by reiterating that no attack occurred on Syed Jamaluddin Afghan University, characterizing the allegations as baseless propaganda designed to manipulate public opinion in the region.