Tensions rise as Pakistan warns Afghan Taliban over TTP, BLA safe havens
Foreign Office. Photo: File
Pakistan on Sunday warned that it would treat the Afghan Taliban regime as an enemy if it continues to provide shelter and support to terrorist outfits such as the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).
“TTP/FaK [Fitna al-Khawarij] and BLA/FaH [Fitna al-Hindustan] are declared enemies of the State of Pakistan and its people. Anyone harbouring, abetting or financing them is not considered a friend and well-wisher of Pakistan and its people,” the Foreign Office said in a strongly worded statement.
The statement followed the conclusion of the third round of Pakistan-Afghanistan talks held in Istanbul on November 7, under the mediation of Turkiye and Qatar. The Foreign Office said Pakistan “deeply appreciates” the sincere efforts of the two brotherly nations to bridge differences between Islamabad and Kabul
over the “core issue of terrorism emanating from Afghan soil.”
For the past four years, since the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul, Pakistan has witnessed a sharp surge in terrorist attacks originating from Afghanistan. Despite suffering both military and civilian casualties, the Foreign Office noted that Pakistan had “exercised maximum restraint and did not retaliate,” hoping the Taliban regime would eventually control these groups.
However, the statement expressed disappointment that despite Pakistan’s goodwill gestures including trade concessions, humanitarian aid, and facilitation of educational and medical visas, the Taliban’s response remained “hollow promises and inaction.”
“Instead of acting upon the core expectation from Pakistan, ie, not to allow Afghan territory to be used for attacks against Pakistan, the Taliban regime has always tried to shy away from taking concrete and verifiable actions,” the statement added.
Islamabad accused the Taliban government of deliberately confusing the core issue of terrorism by raising “irrelevant and hypothetical” concerns to evade its commitments.
The Foreign Office said Pakistan’s response in October 2025 to consistent cross-border attacks was a reflection of its resolve that it “will not leave any stone unturned to safeguard its territory and people.”
While reaffirming its support for peace and diplomacy, Pakistan made it clear that “use of force remains the option of last resort.” The country agreed to participate in the talks mediated by Turkiye and Qatar “to give peace every possible chance.”
According to the statement, during the first round of talks in Doha, both sides reached an understanding on principles of cooperation and responsibility, after which Pakistan agreed to a temporary ceasefire. The second round in Istanbul aimed to devise a mechanism for implementing these measures, but the Taliban side “avoided taking any steps on ground and backtracked on its commitments.”
During the third round, Pakistan once again sought to focus on creating an effective monitoring mechanism, but the Afghan side “tried to dilute the focus on terrorism and prolong the ceasefire without taking verifiable actions against the TTP and BLA militants.”
The Foreign Office said the Taliban regime was “trying to misrepresent the issue of Pakistani terrorists hiding in Afghanistan as a humanitarian issue.” It recalled that after Pakistan’s 2015 Operation Zarb-e-Azb, TTP militants fled to Afghanistan, assisted the Taliban in their fight against ISAF forces, and were now being sheltered “as payback.” These militants, it added, have established training camps to launch attacks inside Pakistan.
Islamabad has demanded their handover, but the Taliban regime “has repeatedly refused to do so,” citing lack of control. “More than a matter of capability, it has become a matter of intent,” the Foreign Office said, warning that “empty hopes and hollow promises have outlived their efficacy.”
“This is not a humanitarian or refugee issue, but a ploy to frame terrorists as refugees,” the statement clarified, adding that Pakistan was ready to receive any Pakistani living in Afghanistan “provided they are handed over at border crossings and not hurled across fully armed.”
Pakistan maintained that it has “never eschewed dialogue with any government in Kabul,” but made clear it “would not hold dialogue with any terrorist group.”
The Foreign Office said that while some within the Taliban “do not want confrontation with Pakistan,” there exists a “strong lobby, with monetary support from foreign actors, tasked to stoke tensions” by maligning Pakistan. These elements, it said, are “eroding whatever goodwill they once had in Pakistan.”
The statement also rejected Taliban propaganda about divisions within Pakistan over Afghan policy. “There is absolute clarity among the people of Pakistan that the nation stands united with its armed forces to safeguard its interests and people,” it said.
Reiterating Pakistan’s position, the statement warned that the Taliban regime “cannot deny the sharp rise in terrorism emanating from Afghanistan” since August 2021. It also criticised attempts to “instigate Pashtun nationalism in Pakistan,” reminding that “more Pashtuns live in Pakistan than in Afghanistan” and are well integrated into the state’s social and political structures.
“Instead of instigating Pashtunism in Pakistan, it would be wise for Taliban regime to look into its own credentials of inclusivity,” the Foreign Office added.
The statement concluded by reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to peace but underlined that “terrorism emanating from Afghanistan needs to be addressed first and foremost.”
“Mandated by Parliament and the Constitution, the armed forces of Pakistan have rendered countless sacrifices in the war against terror and shall continue to do so, with full support of the people of Pakistan,” the Foreign Office said.