ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday issued a stark warning to Afghanistan, saying it will take steps to secure its frontier if Kabul fails to stop militant groups using Afghan territory to strike inside Pakistan, Prime Minister’s adviser Rana Sanaullah said on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters, Sanaullah described Islamabad’s demand as straightforward and based on international law. He said Pakistan had presented evidence of cross-border militant activity that, in his view, was indisputable, and urged Afghan authorities to set up an effective mechanism to prevent their soil being used for attacks.
“This is a one-line demand, there is no flexibility in it,” he said, while stressing that Pakistan still regarded Afghanistan as a brotherly country after decades of hosting Afghan refugees and providing support. He added, however, that patience in Islamabad had limits if militant attacks continued.
Sanaullah accused external actors of influencing Afghan policy, alleging India was encouraging elements in Kabul to adopt an anti-Pakistan stance and offering them incentives. He did not provide independent corroboration for those claims during his remarks.
The adviser underlined Pakistan’s right to self-defence and said the military was prepared to act if necessary. He recalled previous operations and warned that forces would “secure this guarantee ourselves” should Afghanistan not stop cross-border attacks.
The comments come amid growing tension along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier, where Islamabad has repeatedly accused certain groups of operating from Afghan soil. Kabul’s authorities have generally denied state support for such groups, and recent rounds of diplomacy have sought, with limited success, to establish mechanisms to curb cross-border violence.
No immediate response to Sanaullah’s statement was available from the Afghan foreign ministry. International mediators and neighbouring states have repeatedly urged both sides to exercise restraint and revive dialogue to prevent further escalation along the border.
