Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires in Kabul and lodged a formal protest over reported Pakistani airstrikes in the eastern provinces of Kunar and Paktika.

The ministry said the strikes, which were carried out in the early hours of Monday morning, violated Afghanistan’s airspace, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and accused Pakistan of targeting civilian areas and facilities.

According to the ministry, a formal letter of protest was handed to the Pakistani diplomat, strongly condemning what it described as violations of Afghan territory.

The Afghan Foreign Ministry also rejected claims that recent security incidents in Pakistan originated from Afghan territory, describing such allegations as baseless.

The ministry said such claims should not be used to justify military action against Afghanistan, and urged Pakistan to address its security and political challenges by focusing on their underlying causes rather than blaming other countries.

The latest developments follow reports of Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan’s eastern provinces amid heightened tensions between the two neighbouring countries.

Afghan authorities have called for respect for Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and warned against further military action on Afghan soil.

A Boeing 737-300 cargo aircraft operated by Ariana Afghan Airlines arrived at Kabul International Airport on Monday.

According to the airline, the aircraft will be used to transport commercial goods on international routes and has a capacity of around 17 metric tons of cargo per flight.

Ariana said it has signed a one-year contract with UAE-based Air Charter Express to operate the cargo aircraft.

Bakht-ur-Rahman Sharafat, head of Ariana Afghan Airlines, said the company is working to expand its air cargo network, to boost Afghan exports and to strengthen the country’s air transportation capacity.

He said the new cargo service will give Afghan traders an opportunity to transport their products to international markets more quickly, safely and at competitive rates.

Ariana said it aims to provide reliable and competitive air cargo services while strengthening Afghanistan’s connections with regional and international markets.