Pakistan defended its recent counter-terrorism airstrikes in Afghanistan's Paktika province, emphasizing their intelligence-based operations and commitment to civilian safety and Afghan sovereignty. They called for joint efforts with Afghanistan to combat threats like Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) through dialogue and diplomacy.

The first cross-border strike inside Afghanistan since March came after a spate of attacks by the Pakistan Taliban.

Pakistan air strikes in an eastern border region of Afghanistan killed 46 civilians, the Taliban government said Wednesday, whilst a Pakistan security official said the bombardment had targeted "terrorist hideouts".