‘Ceasefire only after verifiable action’: Pakistan warns Afghan Taliban as border tensions escalate

PESHAWAR: A senior Pakistani security official has said the Afghan Taliban leadership is fully aware of Islamabad’s concerns and demands, stressing that any move toward dialogue or a ceasefire would require “verifiable steps” from Kabul.

Relations between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban have deteriorated sharply in the four years since the group returned to power. Tensions surged after Pakistan carried out overnight strikes on suspected terrorist camps in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar and Paktika provinces on February 22. The strikes were followed by cross-border attacks by Afghan Taliban fighters, prompting Pakistan to launch Operation Ghazab lil-Haq on February 26.

While briefing journalists from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the Inter-Services Public Relations headquarters, the senior official said the Taliban regime was well aware of Pakistan’s position.

“If they want dialogue or a ceasefire, they must take verifiable steps,” the official said, adding that Pakistan’s foremost priority remained national security. “Pakistan does not wish to attack anyone.”

The official noted that the Pakistan-Afghanistan border remained the only international border effectively guarded by one side, claiming that militant elements on the Afghan side were being provided shelter and facilitation.

Despite the ongoing operation, the official maintained that Pakistan was exercising restraint to avoid civilian casualties.

“Civilian population has not been targeted in any operation carried out by Pakistan,” he said, adding that strikes were limited to terrorist camps and military targets.

According to the official, Pakistan had targeted areas where militants were receiving weapons, resources and technical support. He also revealed that Pakistani forces had destroyed 36 militant posts inside Afghanistan that were allegedly being used to launch attacks against Pakistan.

Referring to previous diplomatic efforts following clashes in October, the official said three countries had attempted to mediate between Islamabad and Kabul.

“These countries accepted the evidence provided by Pakistan and acknowledged that Pakistan’s concerns were valid,” he said, while lamenting that no meaningful change had been observed from the Afghan Taliban.

He further alleged a clear nexus between terrorism and crime in Afghanistan, accusing the Taliban of harbouring several militant organisations and acting as a “master proxy” for them.

Initially, Pakistan had targeted camps of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the official said. However, he claimed that the Afghan Taliban responded by attacking Pakistani border posts established to prevent militant infiltration.

Operations inside Pakistan aimed at dismantling militant networks and eliminating terrorists are also ongoing, he added.

The official emphasised that completely eradicating terrorism would remain difficult unless the entire nation developed a clear and unified narrative against militancy.

“The National Action Plan was designed with this very objective — to curb terrorism, extremism and crime in society,” he said, adding that gaps in internal security and governance further strengthened militant groups.

Pakistan, he reiterated, had no interventionist agenda in Afghanistan, describing the country’s political future as a matter for the Afghan people.

“Our only stance is clear: Afghan soil must not be used for terrorism against Pakistan,” he said.

The official said the current operation would continue until its objectives were achieved, adding that the Afghan Taliban were fully aware of Pakistan’s conditions for ending hostilities.

Meanwhile, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Syed Asim Munir stated a day earlier that lasting peace between Pakistan and Afghanistan would only be possible if the Taliban regime renounced support for terrorism and militant organisations.