Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the outgoing spokesperson of Pakistan's foreign ministry, on Thursday said Pakistan respected the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Afghanistan.

In her last media briefing, Baloch outrightly rejected social media reports about any attack by the Pakistani armed forces inside Wakhan district of Badakhshan province in Afghanistan.

She said Pakistan desired friendly relations with all the neighboring countries, including Afghanistan, and a dialogue was ongoing between Islamabad and Kabul.

“We will continue dialogue with the Afghan government on all aspects of bilateral relations, including the border situation,” Baloch said while responding a question about reports of attacks by the Afghan security forces from across the Durand Line.

“Pakistan believes in diplomacy and will continue to engage the Afghan government.”

Asked about the air attacks conducted by the Pakistani forces along Pakistan-Afghanistan border late last month, she said Pakistani troops carried out attacks in the border area only to thwart any terror threat.

“Any terrorists trying to enter the Pakistani territory will be responded. Our forces are fully prepared to defend the sovereignty of our territory,” she stated.

Pakistani officials have repeatedly claimed that attacks in the country are rooted in Afghanistan. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), however, has rejected the claim saying Afghanistan is not responsible for Pakistan's "security failure."

US National security adviser Jake Sullivan reportedly offered to resign from President Biden's administration after the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, according to The Washington Post's David Ignatius. 

Ignatius, a Washington Post columnist, spoke to Sullivan and several of his colleagues as the Biden administration nears its end. 

Several of Sullivan's colleagues reportedly told Ignatius that Sullivan offered to resign, and President Biden insisted the national security adviser stay on, according to the report. 

Ignatius reported that the Afghanistan withdrawal "broke the early comity" of the Biden administration's national security team, and created a riff between Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The 2021 withdrawal claimed the lives of more than a dozen American soldiers and led to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) retaking control of the war-torn nation.

"You cannot end a war like Afghanistan, where you’ve built up dependencies and pathologies, without the end being complex and challenging," Sullivan told the Post columnist. "The choice was: Leave, and it would not be easy, or stay forever."

He added that "leaving Kabul freed the [United States] to deal with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in ways that might have been impossible if we had stayed."

Ignatius wrote that the Pentagon resisted Biden's call to remove all U.S. troops from Afghanistan and argued in favor of "a residual force of 2,500 in Kabul."

Sullivan reportedly initially shared the Pentagon's concerns, Ignatius wrote, citing two close advisers.

However, he set out to "loyally" uphold Biden's plan to completely withdraw.

Joining the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member, Pakistan on Thursday stressed the importance of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan as vital for ensuring regional harmony.

As part of the joining ceremony, flags of the five new incoming non-permanent members — Pakistan, along with Denmark, Greece, Panama and Somalia — were installed at the UNSC's stakeout at UN Headquarters in New York.

The new members replaced Japan, Ecuador, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland whose terms ended on December 31, 2024.

Addressing the Afghanistan issue, Pakistan's envoy affirmed that the issue remains a key item on the UN Security Council’s permanent agenda.

"We continue discussions on Afghanistan at the multilateral and bilateral levels," Pakistan's Alternate Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad remarked, adding, "Our position is crystal clear—we want a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, as regional peace is directly tied to stability there."

"We will continue to discuss Afghanistan at the multilateral and bilateral levels," he said. "Our position is very clear and we want a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, because peace in the region is directly linked to stability there."

Pakistani officials have repeatedly claimed that attacks in the country are planned in Afghanistan. The Islamic Emirate, however, has denied the claim, saying Afghanistan is not responsible for Pakistan's "security failure".