Pakistan denies sending delegation to Kabul for talks with Afghan Taliban

ISLAMABAD: Official sources in Pakistan have rejected reports suggesting that a government delegation was dispatched to Kabul for discussions with the Afghan Taliban amid ongoing border tensions.

On Tuesday, official sources clarified that claims circulating on social media, particularly from what they described as “Afghan propaganda accounts,” alleging that a three-member Pakistani delegation was in Kabul for talks, were unfounded. The sources emphasized that there was no truth to these reports.

Afghanistan-based Tolo News had also reported the alleged visit, citing an anonymous source. However, Pakistani officials firmly denied the existence of any such delegation or talks with the Afghan Taliban at this time.

The official sources reiterated Pakistan’s stance, stating, “Afghan propaganda accounts” had been making such claims on social media. They further asserted that Pakistan’s position remains unchanged: the Afghan Taliban must cease providing support to Fitna-al-Khawarij and take decisive measures against them. The term Fitna-al-Khawarij is used by the Pakistani state to refer to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

According to the official sources, there will be no negotiations with the Afghan Taliban until they act against the TTP. The sources added that Pakistan would continue its operations against the hideouts of Fitna-al-Khawarij in Afghanistan.

The reports of alleged talks and the subsequent denial by Pakistani officials come at a time of heightened tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The issue of cross-border militancy and the presence of TTP elements in Afghanistan has been a longstanding concern for Islamabad.

Officials underscored that Pakistan’s policy is clear and that any dialogue with the Afghan Taliban is contingent upon concrete action against groups threatening Pakistan’s security from Afghan territory.