By The South Asia Times

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Friday issued a strong rebuttal against what it describes as a coordinated disinformation campaign by the Afghan Taliban regime, allegedly backed by Indian intelligence, aimed at spreading false claims about cross-border military actions.

The ministry firmly denied assertions made by Taliban officials and their media outlets regarding drone strikes inside Pakistani territory, calling them "fabricated propaganda" .

According to the official fact-check, the Afghan Taliban regime's "propaganda mouthpieces" claimed to have targeted alleged camps of the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP) and other militant groups in the border regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan using drones.

The Ministry of Information clarified that the reality of the situation is starkly different. In a statement, officials confirmed that one "rudimentary drone" belonging to the Taliban regime intruded into Pakistan's airspace near the Shinko area in Khyber district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

"It was immediately identified and neutralized by the alert Air Defence system of the Pakistan Air Force," the ministry stated, releasing an image of the downed drone as evidence.

Pakistan insists that no damage was caused to any military installation or infrastructure.

This latest incident is part of a recurring pattern, according to Pakistani officials. They point to previous false claims, including allegations that the Afghan Taliban had shot down a Pakistan Air Force aircraft and arrested its pilot—assertions that were subsequently proven to be baseless.

The ministry has also called out what it terms "Afghan-Indian propaganda," alleging that the Afghan Taliban is being coached by Indian intelligence (RAW) to create a false narrative.

Pakistani officials claim that Afghan media "creates fake news to cover up the support to terrorist groups and proxies" and gets amplification from Indian media.

"The only thing they have learnt from their Indian propaganda masters is lies and spreading fake news," a government official said.

- The Reality of Air Power in the Region

Central to Pakistan's argument is the military imbalance between the two nations. According to data from the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Afghan Taliban currently possesses no air force.

Their capabilities are limited to remnants of old stockpiles from the Soviet era, lacking a radar network or any meaningful air defense systems.

In stark contrast, Pakistan boasts a sophisticated air force with 465 combat aircraft, a modern air defense network, and a full spectrum of military capabilities, including nuclear weapons.

The disinformation war is unfolding against a backdrop of significant military escalation. Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif recently stated that Pakistan and Afghanistan are in an "open war," as Pakistan continues its Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against terrorists based in Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information maintains that the Afghan Taliban's "fake and nefarious statements" are designed to cover up the fact that terrorist camps, including those of Daesh (ISKP), Fitna al-Khawarij, and more than two dozen other organizations, are "factually located, run and patronized from inside the territories under control of Afghan Taliban regime".

Pakistan claims to have destroyed over 250 Taliban border posts and captured dozens more in recent operations, leading Kabul to resort to propaganda to appease its domestic audience.

"Truth prevails over falsehood," the ministry concluded in its fact-check, emphasizing that any future strikes by Pakistan against terror infrastructure in Afghanistan would be "well declared, fully owned and backed by precise evidence"