ISLAMABAD (AP) 鈥� Pakistan on Thursday into a March airstrike on a drug rehabilitation center in the Afghan capital that the rights group said could amount to a war crime, dismissing the allegations as unsupported and describing the operation as a lawful act of self-defense.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told a news briefing in Islamabad that Pakistan 鈥渃ompletely rejects the allegations鈥� made by Amnesty International, calling it 鈥渦nfortunate鈥� that such serious claims had been made 鈥渨ithout any credible evidence.鈥�
His remarks came a day after Amnesty International said it had found no evidence to support Pakistan鈥檚 claim that was being used for military purposes or to store weapons and ammunition when it was struck on March 16.
Afghanistan has said the strike killed about 400 civilians. Pakistani officials dispute the death toll and maintain the strike targeted a legitimate military site.
Amnesty said it analyzed more than 60 photos and videos, including footage released by Pakistan鈥檚 military, reviewed more than 30 satellite images and interviewed witnesses and other sources. It said it asked Pakistan鈥檚 Foreign Ministry on July 9 whether an investigation had been launched and requested evidence supporting Pakistan鈥檚 justification for the strike but had received no response before publishing its report.
The strike came amid months of escalating cross-border hostilities between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of harboring militants, particularly the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, who it says carry out deadly attacks inside Pakistan. The TTP is a separate group but a close ally of Afghanistan鈥檚 Taliban rulers. Afghanistan denies the allegation.
The U.N. mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA, said in May it had independently verified at least 269 civilian deaths and 122 injuries from the strike, while warning the actual toll could be significantly higher. Afghan authorities later held mass funerals for victims.
Responding to Amnesty鈥檚 findings, Andrabi said Afghanistan鈥檚 Taliban authorities continued to provide a permissive environment for militant groups, including the TTP and the banned Baloch Liberation Army, allegations Kabul has previously denied.
Thousands of Pakistanis were killed or wounded in attacks planned from Afghan territory, he said.
鈥淎ny military strikes by Pakistan were undertaken in the exercise of its right to self-defense under the principles of necessity and as a measure of last resort and were directed only and exclusively against terrorists and their logistical support bases in Afghanistan,鈥� Andrabi said. Pakistan rejected Amnesty鈥檚 conclusions, he said.
He also called on the international community to hold Afghanistan鈥檚 Taliban authorities accountable for preventing Afghan territory from being used to launch attacks against Pakistan, saying Islamabad reserved the right to take all necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the security of its people.
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