ISLAMABAD – Pakistan strongly rejected Amnesty International’s report calling its March 2026 airstrikes in Kabul possible war crimes, calling the findings baseless and insisting the operation targeted terrorist infrastructure.
The sharp rebuttal intensified a diplomatic row, with Islamabad accusing the Afghan Taliban of providing safe havens to TTP and other militant groups while Amnesty continues to demand an independent investigation into the deadly strike.
Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi dismissed the report in its entirety and insisted that Pakistan’s military actions were lawful, proportionate and carried out strictly under the country’s right to self-defence as recognized by the United Nations Charter.
Andrabi said the human rights organization had ignored what he described as the real source of regional instability, Afghan Taliban government’s continued failure to prevent terrorist groups from using Afghan territory to launch attacks inside Pakistan. He maintained that every military strike conducted by Pakistan targeted only terrorists and their logistical infrastructure across the border.
The operations were executed as a last resort after persistent cross-border terrorist attacks and fully adhered to the principles of international humanitarian law, including distinction, proportionality and precaution.
The spokesperson argued that despite repeated security threats, Pakistan exercised restraint and rejected any suggestion that its military operations violated international law. He also urged the international community to focus on the Afghan Taliban’s alleged support and shelter for militant groups rather than questioning Pakistan’s counterterrorism operations.
Calling for greater international accountability, Andrabi said the Taliban authorities had failed to honour commitments made under the Doha Agreement and relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, particularly the obligation to ensure Afghan soil is not used against other countries.
He reiterated that Pakistan reserves the right to take all necessary measures to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity and citizens from cross-border terrorism.
The latest diplomatic confrontation follows Amnesty International’s report, which claims that Pakistan’s March 16 airstrike struck the Omid Rehabilitation and Treatment Center in Kabul, killing at least 269 civilians. The organization argued that the attack could amount to a possible war crime and called for an impartial investigation into the incident.
Investigators found no evidence that the rehabilitation facility was being used for military purposes or to store weapons and ammunition at the time of the strike. The report alleges the attack violated international humanitarian law by failing to distinguish between civilian and military targets and by breaching protections granted to medical facilities.
The rights group said its investigation relied on more than 60 photographs and videos, over 30 satellite images and interviews with 11 witnesses, including hospital staff, rehabilitation center employees, victims’ relatives and rescue workers.
Amnesty alleged that civilians were given no advance warning before the strike and had no opportunity to evacuate. It also claimed that an analysis of videos released by Pakistani authorities did not reveal clear evidence of weapons caches or secondary explosions supporting Islamabad’s assertion that the targeted location housed military infrastructure.
A day after the March 16 strikes, Pakistan forces launched Operation Ghazab Lil Haq, targeting Afghan Taliban military installations in Kabul and Nangarhar. Technical support facilities and weapons depots were destroyed, and secondary explosions shows presence of significant ammunition stockpiles.
The dispute comes against the backdrop of worsening tensions between Islamabad and Afghan Taliban led administration. Ties further deteriorated in recent months amid repeated border clashes and a surge in militant attacks inside Pakistan.
Islamabad continues to accuse the Afghan Taliban of allowing anti-Pakistan militant groups to operate from Afghan territory, while the Taliban government has consistently rejected those allegations, insisting it neither shelters nor supports armed groups targeting Pakistan.
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