By The South Asia Times

ISLAMABAD -  Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sharply criticized a social media post by the British Special Representative for Afghanistan (SRA), Richard Lindsay, accusing the envoy of offering a “one-sided” and “devoid of deeper understanding” assessment of the volatile situation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

In a strongly worded statement issued in response to media queries, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi rejected Lindsay’s call for restraint and civilian protection, arguing that the British diplomat failed to acknowledge the “root cause” of the ongoing violence --unabated cross-border terrorism emanating from Afghan soil.

“We have seen the social media post by the British SRA regarding developments along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border. The one-sided remarks are devoid of a deeper understanding of the situation along the border,” Andrabi said.

The Spokesperson detailed what he described as a persistent campaign of aggression from the Afghan side, which has continued despite Pakistan’s unilateral “goodwill gesture” of a temporary pause announced in March 2026. According to the Foreign Office, since that pause went into effect:

• 52 civilians have been martyred in cross-border attacks

• 84 civilians have been injured

• Attacks by Afghan Taliban forces and terrorist activities by “Afghan Taliban-supported Indian proxies” have continued unabated.

“Pakistan, while exercising restraint, has responded effectively by precisely targeting Afghan Taliban posts and terrorist support infrastructure, while also thwarting multiple infiltration attempts from the Afghan side,” Andrabi added.

The Foreign Office also dismissed Afghan claims of civilian casualties resulting from Pakistan’s military responses, stating that such allegations “lack evidential credibility”.

Richard Lindsay, the UK’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, took to the social media platform X on Friday, expressing alarm over escalating violence along the border. His post came in response to a report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), which stated it had documented “tens of civilians killed or injured” in strikes in eastern Afghanistan, including at a university in Kunar province.

“Concerned by further violence along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, including strikes in Kunar. All steps must be taken to protect civilians and avoid further escalation. I continue to urge dialogue and restraint, including in meetings in Afghanistan this week,” Lindsay wrote.

Lindsay had just concluded a visit to Kabul where he reportedly urged the Afghan Taliban and Pakistan to de-escalate tensions. According to sources cited by Amu TV, the British envoy emphasized that there is “no sustainable military solution” to the crisis and called for reopening border crossings to allow humanitarian supplies to reach vulnerable populations.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry took particular issue with what it perceives as a pattern of Western diplomacy that pressures Islamabad while ignoring the safe havens enjoyed by anti-Pakistan militant groups on Afghan soil -- specifically the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) , which Islamabad refers to as Fitna Al Khwarij.

“Such unwarranted remarks, without linking them to the root cause of terrorism, do not offer a balanced and objective perspective,” the Spokesperson stated.

Andrabi urged the international community to develop a “better understanding of regional dynamics, Pakistan’s principled stance, as well as the unparalleled sacrifices rendered by the people of Pakistan in the fight against terrorism”.

The recent spike in rhetoric coincides with a breakdown of the temporary truce that had been brokered by Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar ahead of Eid al-Fitr on March 18. While subsequent talks were held in Urumqi under Chinese mediation, border violence has resumed with intensity.

Over the past 48 hours alone, local authorities in the Bajaur tribal district reported that Afghan border forces targeted civilian areas, killing at least nine people -- including women and children -- and injuring 15 others. In a separate incident, three civilians playing cricket were reportedly injured by a quadcopter strike attributed to the TTP.