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PESHAWAR: Pakistan said on Sunday 23 of its soldiers were killed and 29 wounded in overnight cross-border clashes with Afghan Taliban fighters, as the Foreign Ministry accused Kabul’s forces of “unwarranted aggression” and warned that any further provocations would face a “befitting response.”

The fighting erupted along the Pak-Afghan border late on Oct. 11 and continued into the early hours of Oct. 12, when what Pakistan described as Taliban-led and India-backed militants launched coordinated attacks on military posts. Pakistani forces said they repelled the assault “decisively,” using precision air and ground strikes against Taliban positions and militant training camps inside Afghan territory. Kabul denies it harbors militants that attack Pakistan and New Delhi has also repeatedly rejected claims it backs anti-Pakistan groups. 

According to Pakistan’s military, more than 200 Taliban and allied fighters were killed in the counterattack, and 21 hostile positions were briefly captured on the Afghan side. The army said multiple camps “used to plan and facilitate attacks against Pakistan” were destroyed, while “all possible measures were taken to avoid collateral damage.”

Afghan officials gave a sharply different account, claiming that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed in overnight border operations in response to what it said were repeated violations of its territory and airspace. 

In a statement issued in Islamabad on Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned what it called “unwarranted aggression” from the Afghan side, saying the unprovoked assault was aimed at destabilizing the frontier and undermining “the spirit of peaceful neighborhood.”

“Pakistan, exercising its right of self-defense, not only effectively repulsed the assaults all along the border, but also inflicted heavy losses on Taliban forces and affiliated Khwarjis, in terms of men, material and infrastructure,” the ministry said, adding that “all possible measures were taken to prevent any collateral damage and protect civilians.”

The ministry said Pakistan “greatly values dialogue and diplomacy” but would “take all possible measures to safeguard its territory and the lives of its people.” 

It added: “Any further provocations would be met with an unwavering and befitting response.”

Pakistan’s military, in a separate statement, said its forces exercised “the right of self-defense” and repelled the overnight assault “decisively,” killing more than 200 Taliban fighters and allied militants through “precision fires, strikes and physical raids” on Taliban camps and training facilities operating from Afghan territory.

“On the night of 11/12 Oct 2025, Afghan Taliban and Indian-sponsored Fitna al Khawarij [Pakistani Taliban/TTP] launched an unprovoked attack on Pakistan, along the Pak-Afghan border,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s media wing, said. “The cowardly action, which included fire and few physical raids, was aimed at destabilizing the border areas to facilitate terrorism.”

“The infra-structural damages to Taliban posts, camps, Headquarters and support networks of terrorists are extensive, all along the border and range from tactical to operational depth,” the statement added. 

Pakistan has long accused the Afghan Taliban of sheltering fighters from the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and allowing them to stage cross-border attacks. Kabul denies the allegation, saying it does not permit its territory to be used against other countries.

Relations between the two sides have deteriorated sharply since 2021, when the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan. Hopes for cooperation soon gave way to distrust as cross-border militancy surged, particularly in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Tensions worsened in 2023 when Pakistan began deporting hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghans, a move it said was necessary to curb terrorism and smuggling. By 2025, more than 800,000 Afghans had been repatriated or forced out, according to government figures.

India’s deepening engagement with the Taliban, including reopening its Kabul embassy this week, has further heightened Islamabad’s concerns. Pakistan views New Delhi’s growing influence in Afghanistan as a regional security threat, given their long-standing rivalry.

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KARACHI: India has released 55 Pakistani fishermen arrested for allegedly violating maritime boundaries between the two neighboring countries, Pakistan’s Edhi Foundation charity said on Sunday.

The fishermen, freed from Indian jails, returned home via the Wagah border crossing between Lahore and Amritsar before being handed over to the Karachi-based charity for onward transport to their hometowns in southern Pakistan.

“Under the instructions of Edhi Foundation Chairman Faisal Edhi, all the released fishermen will be transported from Lahore to Karachi in special Edhi vehicles,” the foundation said in a statement.

The Edhi Foundation, one of Pakistan’s largest humanitarian organizations, routinely coordinates logistics and welfare support for released prisoners and fishermen returning home after years of detention.

Pakistan and India frequently detain fishermen from each other’s countries for crossing into territorial waters, a common occurrence given that the maritime boundary in the Arabian Sea is not clearly demarcated. Many small fishing boats lack modern navigation systems, often leading to unintentional border violations and lengthy detentions.

In September, India released 14 Pakistani prisoners, including five fishermen, who were repatriated through the same border crossing. Earlier this year, in February, Pakistan released 22 Indian fishermen from Karachi’s Malir Jail as part of a reciprocal repatriation process.

The two South Asian rivals exchange lists of prisoners held in each other’s custody every year on Jan. 1 and July 1 under the 2008 Consular Access Agreement.

In the latest exchange this July, India shared the names of 366 civilian prisoners and 86 fishermen in its custody who are confirmed or believed to be Pakistani. Pakistan provided the names of 43 civilian prisoners and 211 fishermen believed to be Indian.