ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has hit back hard at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s baseless claim that Pakistani nationals are fighting for Russia in Ukraine. Officials say Zelensky has been misled — the fighters he calls “mercenaries” are in fact battle-hardened terrorists shipped from Afghanistan, not citizens of the countries he named.
Sources confirm that Afghanistan has turned into the world’s biggest terror marketplace. The so-called “Kharjis” and guns-for-hire, many from the Islamic State Khorasan (IAG) and other extremist outfits, roam freely. These militants are armed with advanced American weapons abandoned during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Now, they are being recruited and funneled into wars thousands of miles away — including Ukraine.
“Pakistanis are not part of this war, and no evidence exists to suggest otherwise,” said Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan. “We will demand an explanation from Kyiv. The truth is these fighters come from across our western border — from the terror networks operating in Afghanistan.”
Pakistan has maintained a neutral stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict since day one, urging dialogue and diplomacy. Officials say attempts to drag Pakistan into the war narrative are part of a propaganda campaign to hide the real source of these foreign fighters — Afghanistan, a terror state exporting violence and chaos.
Afghan militants have long sold their services to the highest bidder, whether in the Middle East, Africa, or now Europe. The war in Ukraine has simply opened a new market for their deadly trade.
