- Minister of State for Interior says third-country mediation underway to press Kabul to prevent use of its territory for terror activities
- Warns of ‘Khawarij trained and sponsored’ from Afghan soil, urges decisive action from Kabul
- Reiterates readiness to defend its territorial integrity, vows continued counterterror operations
ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Saturday said that the only viable path to resolving tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan lies in Kabul’s full compliance with the Doha Agreement, which explicitly bars the use of Afghan territory for terrorist activities against any country.
“For the first time, a third country is involved in facilitating communication to ensure Afghanistan abides by the Doha accord and prevents the use of its soil for acts of terrorism by any group,” the minister said in a televised interview. “The only constructive way forward is for Afghanistan to fulfil its commitments under the agreement and stop all actors using its territory to stage attacks,” he added.
Chaudhry said that despite Pakistan’s repeated diplomatic and military-level engagements with Kabul, “the Afghan side has shown neither resolve nor commitment” to curbing cross-border terrorism. When asked if Islamabad would consider targeting militants on Afghan soil, he said, “Khawarij are trained and sponsored there before entering Pakistan—this must stop.”
His remarks came as a high-level Pakistani delegation, led by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, held talks with a Kabul delegation in Doha on Saturday, amid continued border clashes between the two countries. The meeting, facilitated by Qatar, was confirmed by the Foreign Office, which said discussions were focused on reducing tensions and ensuring border stability.
Referring to militant threats, the minister said that Fitna al-Khawarij—a term used for terrorists linked to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)—and Fitna al-Hindustan, referring to India-sponsored groups in Balochistan, continue to target Pakistan. He accused Kabul of aligning with India and recognising occupied Kashmir as Indian territory, saying, “We kept warning that they are proxies, and now they have proven it.”
Chaudhry reiterated that Pakistan would take all measures necessary to defend its sovereignty. “If terrorism is an internal issue, then why do they come from Afghanistan?” he asked, responding to Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s recent remarks. “We have shared multiple dossiers detailing their camps and infiltration routes, yet no action has been taken,” he stressed.
Tensions have escalated since last weekend when 23 Pakistani troops were martyred and around 200 Taliban and affiliated militants were killed in cross-border clashes after an attack from the Afghan side, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
Afghanistan claimed the attack was in “retaliation” for alleged Pakistani air strikes on its soil last Thursday—an accusation Islamabad has neither confirmed nor denied. Clashes resumed on Tuesday along the Kurram border, followed by Pakistan’s precision strikes in Kandahar and Kabul on Wednesday targeting terrorist hideouts.
A temporary 48-hour ceasefire, brokered midweek, was later extended on Friday, even as Pakistan carried out further strikes on militant sanctuaries in Paktika’s Urgun and Barmal districts. The operations followed a deadly gun-and-bomb attack on a military installation in North Waziristan, which officials say was planned from across the Afghan border.
