The spokesperson says both countries are actively communicating but that “there is currently no formal government in Kabul.”
The current Afghan Taliban regime in Afghanistan is not truly representative of the Afghan people, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday.
FO Spokesperson Shafqat Ali briefed the media about the current situation. Pakistan’s embassy in Kabul and Afghanistan’s embassy in Islamabad are fully operational and routine diplomatic communications are continuing, he said.
However, the spokesperson stated, “there is currently no formal government in Kabul and one group holds power by force.” The current administration in Kabul does not represent the Afghan people, Ali said. “Afghans will one day elect a government led by their true representatives.”
Initial direct contacts were established over the past week after tensions rose with both sides reporting heavy losses in clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border last weekend. This was done with the support of friendly countries, the FO spokesperson said, adding that at the moment there are no negotiations or agreements related to Doha.
Last Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. a 48-hour ceasefire was established.
Ali stressed that Pakistan’s precision strikes were defensive and not directed against the Afghan people. Pakistan continues to prefer dialogue as the way forward, he added.
The Afghan Taliban regime cannot absolve itself of its obligation to ensure peace and stability in the region and beyond by deflecting responsibility from failing to control terrorism against Pakistan, the FO spokesperson said.
“Pakistan has hosted four million Afghan citizens and remains committed to legal and humanitarian measures regarding their presence,” he said.
He condemned the desecration of corpses by the Afghan Taliban. “This is unacceptable,” Ali said, adding that the matter has been raised with the administration in Kabul.
Islamabad reiterated its concern over provocations by the Afghan Taliban and terrorist groups Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan.
Read: Suicide attack on security forces camp in Mir Ali, North Waziristan foiled
The last two are terms that the State introduced after the war with India in May 2025; the former refers to terrorists affiliated with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the latter is usually reserved for banned separatist groups.
The spokesperson rejected Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s statements made in India and criticized the joint statement issued during the Acting External Affairs Minister’s visit to India, in which he described Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) as part of India. “This is tantamount to denying the rights of the people of occupied Kashmir,” Ali said.
The spokesperson highlighted India’s support to terrorist groups in Afghanistan, including the TTP and the banned group Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), through training facilities, day care centers and other activities. “India’s negative role is no secret and the statements of its Ministry of External Affairs are public knowledge.”
Ali repeated that Islamabad vehemently rejects Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister’s claim that terrorism is an “internal problem” of Islamabad.
It said references to Jammu and Kashmir as part of India violate relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and ignore the legal status of the territory.
Also read: Pakistan accepts Afghan Taliban regime’s request for a 48-hour ceasefire
The joint statement, he added, was very insensitive to the sacrifices and feelings of the people of IIOJK in their just struggle for the right to self-determination.
Pakistan maintains contacts with the ruling group in Kabul while pushing for action against terrorism, according to the FO spokesperson.
Ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan
A clash took place on the night of October 11-12, when Afghan Taliban forces, supported by “Indian-sponsored Fitna al-Khawarij elements,” launched an unprovoked attack on Pakistan along the border, according to the military’s media wing.
“The cowardly action, which included shooting and some physical attacks, was aimed at destabilizing border areas to facilitate terrorism, furthering FAK’s nefarious designs,” Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement.
The security forces, exercising the right of self-defence, decisively repelled the attacks along the border and inflicted heavy casualties on the Taliban forces and affiliated Khawarij terrorists, ISPR said.
On October 15, the Ministry of External Affairs announced that Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime had agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire following Pakistan’s “precision strikes” against the Taliban and terrorist hideouts in Kandahar and Kabul.
According to the ministry, the decision was made at the request of the Taliban and with the mutual consent of both parties. During the ceasefire, both sides will maintain constructive dialogue to make sincere efforts to find a positive solution to a complex but solvable problem, the ministry said.
“This temporary pause aims to create space for meaningful discussions and promote stability along the border,” the ministry said in a statement.
