Pakistan Urges Afghan Taliban to End Terrorist Sanctuaries, Rejects Allegations

ISLAMABAD: (Mudassar Iqbal) – Pakistan has urged the regime to take verifiable action against terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory, rejecting what it described as diversionary allegations against Pakistan’s security institutions.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said the Afghan Taliban regime must address Pakistan’s longstanding security concerns instead of resorting to allegations. It stressed that blaming Pakistan’s security institutions would not absolve Kabul of its responsibility to prevent Afghan territory from being used for terrorist activities against Pakistan.

The ministry said Pakistan’s concerns were supported by international assessments, including the United Nations Security Council’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team’s sixteenth report (S/2025/796) and the US Lead Inspector General’s Operation Enduring Sentinel report covering January–March 2026.

According to the ministry, the US report stated that the Afghan Taliban continued to allow the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to operate from Afghan territory, while Taliban support and greater freedom for the group contributed to an increase in attacks against Pakistan. The report estimated the TTP’s strength at between 4,000 and 6,000 fighters.

The ministry further said repeated attempts by armed terrorists to infiltrate Pakistan across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, along with the recovery of foreign-origin weapons from terrorist elements, warranted serious scrutiny.

It also raised concerns over the alleged facilitation of terrorist groups by Afghan Taliban officials, including officials in Kandahar, saying such allegations required credible explanations and verifiable action rather than blanket denials.

Emphasising that Pakistan’s security measures were directed against terrorist threats and not the Afghan people, the ministry said peace and stability in both countries were closely interconnected.

It called on the Afghan Taliban regime to end any tolerance, facilitation or support for terrorist organisations, including the TTP, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and their affiliates, and ensure that Afghan territory was not used to plan, prepare or launch attacks against Pakistan.

The ministry rejected attempts to portray Pakistan’s security concerns and defensive measures as hostility towards Afghanistan, reiterating that the country would continue to take all necessary steps to protect its citizens, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Pakistan also expressed its willingness to engage responsibly with Afghanistan on the basis of mutual respect, verifiable commitments and concrete action against terrorist sanctuaries, support networks and cross-border infiltration.

The statement concluded that lasting regional peace would remain elusive unless the Afghan Taliban regime verifiably addressed Pakistan’s core concern of terrorism originating from Afghan territory.