- Pakistan only wants one thing: Afghan soil not to be used against it.
- He says the first negotiations with the Taliban after 2021 “cost Pakistan very dearly”.
- Notes that violence is increasing; hopes that the negotiations on November 6 will move forward.
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday said he received six calls from Acting Afghan 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 should not be used against Pakistan – and I added that the situation puts him in a difficult position,” said DPM Dar, while speaking in the Senate.
Recalling the aftermath of the Taliban takeover in 2021, the DPM said Pakistani envoys told Afghanistan’s new leaders that they had come for “a cup of tea”, but that small missteps had costly consequences and such mistakes should not be repeated.
He said formal relations between the two countries remained calm for four years after the Taliban took power, but he had visited Afghanistan to hold negotiations and sign agreements. His only demand, he said, was that Afghan soil not be used for attacks on Pakistan.
“Violent incidents in Afghanistan have increased since the arrival of the current government,” Dar said, adding: “Islamabad is determined to fight until the last breath and has expressed hope that the talks scheduled for November 6 will move forward.”
On internal security, he said operations carried out until 2018 had significantly reduced militant attacks in the country.
Separately, Dar dismissed allegations about payments to religious scholars in Punjab, saying he was not aware of any official giving 10,000 or 25,000 rupees to the ulama – and if true, it would be regrettable.
Last month, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to extend the ceasefire during negotiations in Istanbul after the worst border clashes between the neighbors in years, according to Turkey, which mediated the negotiations with Qatar.
The two countries have faced their most serious military clashes since the Taliban’s capture of Kabul in 2021, 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 Turkey and Qatar “stand ready to continue cooperation with both sides for lasting peace and stability.”
Shortly before midnight in Istanbul, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid issued a separate statement 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 an increase in terrorist 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 has remained largely indifferent to Pakistan’s demands and has provided sanctuary 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.
Pakistani armed forces responded quickly, killing more than 200 Taliban fighters and affiliated militants; however, as many as 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred in the border clashes.
Security forces also carried out strikes in Afghanistan, including in Kabul, destroying terrorist hideouts in the country.
Hostilities between the forces of the two countries ceased after Pakistan accepted the Taliban regime’s request for a temporary ceasefire on October 17.
Delegations from the two countries then met for Qatar-mediated talks in Doha, where they agreed to a ceasefire agreement.
Turkey then hosted the second round of negotiations in Istanbul, which began on October 25.
However, the talks failed after four days due to what Pakistani authorities called “illogical” arguments by the Taliban delegation, which they said were “detached from ground realities.”
