Pakistan strikes in Afghanistan as Taliban minister visits India

The former President of Afghanistan Hamid Katzai has strongly condemned Pakistan’s airstrikes on Kabul and the provinces of Paktika, Khost, and Nangarhar, calling them a blatant violation of international norms, an infringement on sovereignty, and an act of aggression against Afghanistan’s territorial integrity. Karzai stated that Pakistan’s policies toward Afghanistan and the region have been “irresponsible, lacking foresight and wisdom, and what it now faces are the consequences of those misguided policies.”  Karzai urged Pakistan to refrain from deflecting blame and resorting to tension and violence. Instead, he called on Islamabad to review its harmful and failed policies, respect the principles of good neighborliness and international norms, and engage with Afghanistan based on friendly and civilized relations.
As per local media reports,  around midnight last night, Pakistani fighter jets conducted an airstrike on Margha Bazaar in Barmal district of Paktika province. The strike reportedly caused no human casualties. The source added that approximately 10 shops were completely destroyed in the attack, and several others were burned. Afghanistan was rocked by explosions as Pakistan conducted a cross-border operation targeting Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) camps in Kabul amid escalating tensions between the countries. The timing of the attack coincided with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi's maiden visit to India – a visit that seems to have rattled Pakistan as New Delhi ramps up its Afghan outreach. Local reports said the aerial strike near Shahid Abdul Haq Square was aimed to snuff out TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud, who took over the command of the outfit in 2018.
Pakistan  said that its security forces killed 30 militants involved in the October 7 ambush on a Pakistani military convoy. The attack by the TTP near the Afghan border left 11 Pakistani soldiers, including two senior officers, dead.An audio message from Mehsud claimed that he was safe, denying reports of his death or disappearance. The clarification came after several Pakistani media outlets claimed he was killed in the strike.
Expressing concern over the Pakistani air strikes, former US envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad termed it as a "huge escalation" that posed dangerous risks. Khalilzad called for negotiations between Pakistan and Taliban. "In recent days, Taliban operatives have been active in Pakistan, attacking ISIS and killing a number of its leaders. The Pakistanis have been recklessly backing ISIS operatives against Afghanistan and their own Baloch nationalist insurgency. The Afghans, in turn, have been permissive towards the TTP," the former envoy tweeted.
Earlier, Pakistani defence minister Khawaja Asif issued a stern warning to the Afghan Taliban.Asif, speaking in the National Assembly, pointedly said Pakistan's patience had "run out" over the continued use of Afghan territory by militants targeting Pakistan. "Enough is enough," the Pakistani defence minister asserted. "Despite years of negotiations with the Afghan government, the bloodshed in Pakistan has not stopped. Daily funerals of military personnel are being held. We are paying the price of 60 years of hospitality to 6 million Afghan refugees with our blood," the Pakistani minister tweeted. "The time has come for Afghan guests to return to tehir homes and end this cycle of terror and murder," he further said.