Pakistan rejects Afghan Taliban claims of weapons smuggled into Afghanistan as 'frivolous, baseless'

On Sunday, Pakistan's Ministry of Information rejected Afghan Taliban claims that Pakistan was smuggling weapons into Afghanistan, calling the allegations frivolous and baseless. Instead, the ministry pointed to what it says is the actual weapons problem: sophisticated military equipment left behind by US and coalition forces during their withdrawal from Afghanistan—valued at an estimated seven point two billion dollars, plus decades of accumulated Soviet-era stockpiles. Pakistan's concern is that terrorist groups based in Afghanistan are using that soil to plan and execute attacks inside Pakistan. This represents a long-standing point of tension; Pakistan has repeatedly urged the Taliban to address terrorist sanctuaries within Afghanistan. Last month, major attacks in Balochistan prompted Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces to vow that terrorism originating from across the border would be crushed with the full might of the state.

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