- FO spokesperson says Afghan Taliban backing Fitna al-Hindustan, Fitna al-Khawarij, declaring ‘threshold of patience crossed’
- Blames Kabul ‘stubbornness’ for border closure, stalling TAPI and CASA-1000 projects
- Andrabi says India’s ‘war-mongering’ continues despite Modi’s assurance to Trump
- Reiterates Pakistan support for Iran’s nuclear rights under int’l law, slamming Israeli actions in West Bank, Al-Aqsa storming
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday, reiterating its call for the Afghan Taliban to cease support for terrorist outfits, made it clear that responsibility for the continued closure of border crossings, disruption of bilateral trade and delays in key regional connectivity projects squarely rested with the Afghan government.
As tensions persist along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier, Islamabad stressed that the Afghan Taliban’s support for groups such as Fitna al-Hindustan and Fitna al-Khawarij had exhausted Pakistan’s threshold of patience and directly compelled the country to suspend trade and shut border points.
Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi, during his weekly media briefing, said Pakistan had been left with no choice but to adopt stringent measures after sustained provocations emanating from Afghan soil. He said the border closure and trade suspension were not unilateral acts but “responses to clear security threats” tied to the Afghan Taliban regime’s continued patronage of terrorist elements targeting Pakistan.
“The onus of delay in opening the border crossing rests with Afghan Taliban. Similarly, the projects like TAPI and CASA-1000,” he stated, underscoring that major regional connectivity initiatives had also suffered because of Kabul’s unwillingness to curb militant groups.
Weekly Press Briefing by the Spokesperson @TahirAndrabi
On Iran Nuclear Issue and Iran’s Role in Afghan Talks pic.twitter.com/v1iABnk2Ps
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) November 21, 2025
He reiterated that Afghanistan must stop the misuse of its territory for launching terrorist attacks inside Pakistan, noting that Islamabad had consistently tried to remain engaged despite suffering loss of life. “Earlier, Pakistan had segregated trade and security. But then there is a threshold of patience. I think that threshold of patience has been crossed. We cannot let the trade happen as if trade is to license the killing of Pakistanis from Afghan soil,” he remarked.
Responding to queries about inflammatory statements by Afghan leaders, including one claiming preparations of 4,000 bombers for deployment against Pakistan, Andrabi said such rhetoric only strengthened Pakistan’s longstanding position regarding the use of Afghan territory as a springboard for cross-border terrorism. “The statement proved what Pakistan had been saying,” he added.
Turning to regional developments involving India, Andrabi was asked to comment on US President Donald Trump’s recent statement regarding his conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who reportedly assured him that India would not go to war with Pakistan. Andrabi replied that such assurances were received cautiously. “That assurance we obviously take with a pinch of salt. It is not backed up by any cooling down of statements emanating from India,” he said.
He noted that Indian political and military leadership continued to “monger war” and issue hostile remarks, creating an environment of persistent tension in the region.
On the Iranian nuclear issue, Andrabi reiterated Pakistan’s principled and steady position, which recognizes Iran’s right to nuclear enrichment within permissible limits and in line with Tehran’s commitments under international law.
Commenting on the latest US congressional report on Pakistan, the spokesperson said the document’s concluding assessment — which acknowledged Pakistan’s “overwhelming success” on certain fronts—was “quite a telling” endorsement of Pakistan’s efforts.
The spokesperson also provided an overview of Pakistan’s diplomatic engagements during the week. He highlighted Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s visit to Russia to attend the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting and his subsequent trip to Brussels to co-chair the 7th session of the Pakistan-EU Strategic Dialogue and participate in the 4th EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum.
On the sidelines of these engagements, Pakistan and Hungary signed the renewal of the MoU on Cooperation under the Stipendium Hungaricum Programme 2026-2028, offering 400 scholarships for Pakistani students pursuing higher studies in Hungary.
Reiterating Pakistan’s strong condemnation of continued Israeli violations in the occupied West Bank, Andrabi expressed serious alarm over recurring incidents involving Israeli forces and extremist settlers, including repeated storming of the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque and provocations targeting worshippers. He stressed that such acts were blatant violations of international law and relevant UN resolutions.
“It is imperative that the sanctity of the holy sites must be ensured in accordance with international law and the historical status quo,” he said, reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution, with a sovereign, viable and contiguous State of Palestine on pre-June 1967 borders and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
On the situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Andrabi voiced deep concern over the persistent and serious human rights crisis, stating that Indian policies—marked by widespread detentions, arbitrary arrests, and restrictions on fundamental freedoms—amounted to collective punishment of the Kashmiri population.
“India continues its efforts to alter the demographic character in the occupied territory and to erode the religious, cultural, and social heritage of the Kashmiri people,” he said, noting that thousands of Kashmiri youth remain missing and that many authentic political representatives continue to be held in arbitrary detention. Such coercive actions, he added, cannot weaken the Kashmiri people’s commitment to their internationally recognized right to self-determination.
Calling on the international community, including the United Nations, to take full cognizance of the grave human rights situation in IIOJK, Andrabi urged global bodies to press India to adopt immediate remedial measures, ensure accountability for documented violations, and allow credible international human rights organizations to conduct independent assessments.
“A just, peaceful, and lasting resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people, remains essential for durable peace and stability in South Asia,” he emphasized.
Responding to a question regarding the sentence awarded in the trial of a former Bangladeshi prime minister, the spokesperson said, “This is an internal matter of Bangladesh. The people of Bangladesh are fully capable of addressing their issues in accordance with their own democratic and constitutional processes.”
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