A senior Pakistani official has denied Taliban claims that Pakistan’s defence minister, intelligence chief and two generals were denied visas to visit Kabul. The source said that no visa applications were submitted and that only a proposal for a visit had been made.

Speaking to Afghanistan International on Monday, the official said, “It was only a proposal, not a visa request,” rejecting reports that Islamabad’s senior officials had applied for entry into Afghanistan.

Earlier, Taliban government sources in Kabul told Afghanistan International that the Taliban had rejected visa applications from Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, intelligence chief Asim Malik, and two other generals. The sources claimed the officials had submitted visa requests over the past three days.

The conflicting reports over a potential high-level Pakistani delegation come amid escalating tensions between the two neighbours, following a week of deadly border clashes and retaliatory airstrikes.

On Sunday, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry issued an unusually pointed statement expressing hope that “the Afghan people will be free and have a truly democratic government,” signalling a hardening of Islamabad’s tone toward the Taliban.