DPM Dar presses Kabul on militancy after six calls from Afghan FM

• Pakistan wants only one thing: Afghan soil not used against it.
• Says early post-2021 dealings with Taliban “cost Pakistan heavily.”
• Notes violence rising; hopes 6 November talks make headway.
  

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Tuesday he received six calls from Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, and told him one thing: do not allow your soil to be used against us.

"I told the Afghan minister: we only want one thing — that Afghan territory not be used against Pakistan — and added that the situation has put him in a difficult position," DPM Dar said, while speaking on the floor of the Senate.

Recalling the fallout after the Taliban took power in 2021, the DPM said that Pakistani envoys told the new Afghan rulers they had come for “a cup of tea,” but that small missteps had costly consequences, and such mistakes must not be repeated.

He said formal ties between the two countries went quiet for four years after the Taliban takeover, but he travelled to Afghanistan to hold talks and sign agreements. His single demand, he said, was that Afghan soil not be used for attacks on Pakistan.

"Violent incidents in Afghanistan have risen since the current government came in," Dar said and added, "Islamabad is committed to fighting to the last breath and expressed hope that talks scheduled for November 6 will move forward."

On domestic security, he said operations carried out up to 2018 had significantly reduced militant attacks in the country.

Separately, Dar dismissed claims about payments to religious scholars in Punjab, saying he had no knowledge of any officials giving Rs10,000 or Rs25,000 to ulema — and if true, it would be regrettable.

Last month, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to extend a ceasefire during talks in Istanbul after the worst border clashes between the neighbours in years, according to Turkiye which mediated the talks along with Qatar.

The two countries faced their most serious military confrontations since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Kabul, with deadly clashes this month triggering Pakistani airstrikes, Afghan retaliatory fire and the closure of key crossings used for trade and transit.

Turkish officials added that a follow-up meeting would be held in Istanbul on November 6 to decide how the mechanism will be implemented, and that Turkiye and Qatar "stand ready to continue cooperation with both sides for lasting peace and stability."

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid issued a separate statement shortly before midnight in Istanbul confirming the conclusion of the talks and saying both sides had agreed to continue discussions in future meetings.

Islamabad-Kabul tensions

Pakistan has been grappling with rising terror incidents, particularly in KP and Balochistan, since the Afghan Taliban regime took power in 2021.

The government has repeatedly urged the Taliban regime to rein in terrorist groups responsible for countless attacks in Pakistan.

However, the Taliban regime largely remained indifferent to Pakistan's demands and provided refuge to multiple terrorist groups targeting security forces and civilians.

Instead of addressing Pakistan's concerns about cross-border terrorism, the Taliban regime resorted to unprovoked firing along the border on October 12.

Pakistan Armed Forces retaliated swiftly, killing over 200 Taliban fighters and affiliated militants; however, as many as 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred during the border clashes.

Security forces also conducted strikes inside Afghanistan, including in Kabul, destroying terrorists’ hideouts in the country.

Hostilities between forces of the two nations ceased after Pakistan accepted the Taliban regime's request for a temporary ceasefire on October 17.

Delegations from the two countries later met for talks mediated by Qatar in Doha, where they agreed on a ceasefire agreement.

Turkiye then hosted the second round of talks in Istanbul, which began on October 25.

However, the talks ended inconclusively after four days over what Pakistani authorities described as the Taliban delegation's "illogical" arguments, which they said were "detached from ground realities".