ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has denied claims made by the acting defence minister of the Taliban that the US has used its airspace for drone strikes in Afghanistan, calling his comments "very unfortunate" and "contrary to the rules of responsible diplomatic conduct."

The claims made by Afghanistan's acting defence minister, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, were referred to as "conjectural assertions" by Pakistan on Sunday.

The acting defence minister for the Taliban said that Pakistan had permitted American drones to reach Afghanistan through its airspace. Such conjectural claims are extremely regretful and go beyond the rules of responsible diplomatic conduct, as admitted by the Afghan minister himself in the absence of any evidence, according to a statement from the Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson.

Islamabad's "belief in the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states" and its condemnation of "terrorism in all its forms and manifestations" were also repeated by the spokesperson.

The statement urged "the Afghan interim authorities to guarantee that Afghanistan upholds its international commitments to not permit the use of its territory for terrorism against any country."

At an earlier press conference in Kabul, Mullah Yaqoob revealed to the media that American drones had been infiltrating Afghanistan through Pakistan.

According to our intelligence, drones are flying into Afghanistan from Pakistan and using its airspace. We request Pakistan not to utilise its airspace against us.

Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al Qaeda, was allegedly killed in a drone hit in Kabul in July, according to the United States, which Pakistan has denied having any involvement in or prior knowledge of.

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