Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Photo: Archive
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan warned on Sunday that it would treat the Afghan Taliban regime as an enemy if it continues to provide shelter and support to terrorist groups such as the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).
“TTP/FaK [Fitna al-Khawarij] and BLA/FaH [Fitna al-Hindustan] They are declared enemies of the State of Pakistan and its people. “Anyone who harbors, incites or finances them is not considered a friend or sympathizer of Pakistan and its people,” the Foreign Ministry said in a strongly worded statement.
The statement came after the conclusion of the third round of talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan held in Istanbul on November 7, under the mediation of Turkiye and Qatar. The Foreign Ministry said Pakistan “deeply appreciates” the sincere efforts of the two brotherly nations to bridge differences between Islamabad and Kabul.
on the “central issue of terrorism emanating from Afghan soil.”
Over the past four years, since the return of the Taliban to power in Kabul, Pakistan has witnessed a sharp increase in terrorist attacks originating from Afghanistan. Despite suffering both military and civilian casualties, the Ministry of External Affairs noted that Pakistan had “exercised maximum restraint and did not retaliate,” hoping that the Taliban regime would eventually bring these groups under control.
However, the statement expressed disappointment that despite Pakistan’s goodwill gestures, including trade concessions, humanitarian aid, and facilitation of educational and medical visas, the Taliban’s response remained “empty promises and inaction.”
“Instead of acting on Pakistan’s core expectation, that is, not allowing Afghan territory to be used for attacks against Pakistan, the Taliban regime has always tried to avoid taking concrete and verifiable actions,” the statement added.
Islamabad accused the Taliban government of deliberately confusing the core issue of terrorism by raising “irrelevant and hypothetical” concerns to evade its commitments.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Pakistan’s response in October 2025 to continued cross-border attacks was a reflection of its determination that it “will leave no stone unturned to safeguard its territory and people.”
While reaffirming its support for peace and diplomacy, Pakistan made it clear that “the use of force remains the option of last resort.” The country agreed to participate in talks mediated by Turkiye and Qatar “to give peace every possible opportunity.”
According to the statement, during the first round of talks in Doha, both sides reached an understanding on the principles of cooperation and responsibility, following which Pakistan agreed to a temporary ceasefire. The second round in Istanbul was aimed at devising a mechanism to implement these measures, but the Taliban side “avoided taking action on the ground and backtracked on its commitments.”
During the third round, Pakistan once again tried to focus on creating an effective monitoring mechanism, but the Afghan side “tried to dilute the focus on terrorism and prolong the ceasefire without taking verifiable actions against TTP and BLA militants.”
The Foreign Ministry said the Taliban regime was “trying to misrepresent the issue of Pakistani terrorists hiding in Afghanistan as a humanitarian issue.” He recalled that after Pakistan’s Operation Zarb-e-Azb in 2015, TTP militants fled to Afghanistan, helped the Taliban in their fight against ISAF forces and were now being protected “as revenge.” These militants, he added, have set up training camps to launch attacks inside Pakistan.
Islamabad has demanded his handover, but the Taliban regime “has repeatedly refused to do so,” citing a lack of control. “Rather than a question of capacity, it has become a question of intention,” the Foreign Office said, warning that “empty hopes and empty promises have ceased to be effective.”
“This is neither a humanitarian nor a refugee issue, but a ploy to frame terrorists as refugees,” the statement clarified, adding that Pakistan is willing to receive any Pakistani living in Afghanistan “as long as they are handed over at border crossings and not dumped fully armed.”
Pakistan maintained that it “has never avoided dialogue with any government in Kabul,” but made it clear that “it would not dialogue with any terrorist group.”
The Foreign Ministry said that while some within the Taliban “do not want a confrontation with Pakistan,” there is a “strong lobby, with monetary support from foreign actors, tasked with stoking tensions” by defaming Pakistan. These elements, he said, are “eroding any goodwill they once had in Pakistan.”
The statement also rejected Taliban propaganda about divisions within Pakistan over Afghan politics. “There is absolute clarity among the people of Pakistan that the nation is united with its armed forces to safeguard its interests and its people,” he said.
Reiterating Pakistan’s position, the statement warned that the Taliban regime “cannot deny the sharp increase in terrorism emanating from Afghanistan” since August 2021. It also criticized attempts to “instigate Pashtun nationalism in Pakistan”, recalling that “more Pashtuns live in Pakistan than in Afghanistan” and are well integrated into the social and political structures of the State.
“Instead of instigating Pashtunism in Pakistan, the Taliban regime would be wise to examine its own inclusiveness credentials,” the Ministry of External Affairs added.
The statement concluded by reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to peace, but stressed that “terrorism emanating from Afghanistan needs to be addressed first and foremost.”
“By mandate of Parliament and the Constitution, Pakistan’s armed forces have made countless sacrifices in the war against terrorism and will continue to do so, with the full support of the people of Pakistan,” the Ministry of External Affairs said.
