ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, in its first official response to the November 6 Istanbul talks with the Afghan Taliban, stated on Sunday that the central issue was terrorism emanating from the Afghan soil targeting Pakistan.
The Foreign Office noted that the Afghan side failed to take any concrete action against banned groups such as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP/FaK) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA/FaH), which have long carried out attacks from Afghanistan.
The statement underlined that Pakistan’s October 2025 response to repeated cross-border attacks reflected its unwavering resolve to protect its territory and citizens. While the temporary ceasefire between the two neighbours is holding, normal operations at Torkham and Chaman border crossings have not yet resumed.
Pakistan reiterated that it always considers the use of force a last resort, but the Taliban regime appeared focused on prolonging the ceasefire without taking verifiable action against terrorist elements. Instead of addressing Pakistan’s core concerns, the Afghan side reportedly engaged in futile arguments and accusations, stonewalling efforts to reach concrete understanding.
The Foreign Office stressed that Pakistan remains committed to resolving bilateral differences through dialogue, but terrorism from Afghan soil must be addressed first. The spokesperson stressed that Pakistan’s Armed Forces, supported by its people, remain determined to eliminate terrorism and act against its supporters, abettors and financiers.
Pakistan also expressed appreciation for the mediation efforts by Turkiye and Qatar, which reportedly aligned with Islamabad’s stance that terrorism against Pakistan must end. Sources confirmed that Afghanistan refused to provide written assurances preventing its soil from being used for attacks — a key demand given past unfulfilled verbal commitments.
The FO spokesperson provided a detailed overview of Pakistan’s engagement with the Taliban regime since it came to power in Afghanistan four years ago. During this period, terrorist attacks originating from Afghan soil against Pakistan have sharply increased. Despite suffering military and civilian casualties, Pakistan exercised restraint, expecting the Taliban to control these attacks and act against banned groups such as TTP/FaK and BLA/FaH.
Pakistan also pursued constructive engagement, offering trade concessions, humanitarian aid, educational and medical visa facilitation and advocating for international support for Afghanistan’s peace and development. However, the Taliban regime’s response has largely been limited to hollow promises and inaction. Instead of addressing Pakistan’s core concern — preventing Afghan territory from being used for attacks — the regime attempted to sidestep responsibilities and confuse the main issue with peripheral matters.
“TTP/FaK and BLA/FaH are declared enemies of Pakistan. Anyone supporting them is not considered a friend of Pakistan,” the spokesperson said, stressing Pakistan’s determination to safeguard its people while remaining committed to peace and diplomacy.
Pakistan, following the advice of mediators Turkiye and Qatar, participated in peace talks. A temporary ceasefire was agreed upon during the first round in Doha. The second round in Istanbul was meant to implement those measures, but the Taliban side avoided concrete action and tried to undermine commitments, including through provocative media statements. Pakistan, however, remained firm on its demand for verifiable measures against terrorist elements and an effective monitoring mechanism.
The Foreign Office also participated in the talks at a senior level.
At the third round of talks with the Afghan Taliban, Pakistan maintained a constructive approach focused on establishing an effective monitoring mechanism to curb cross-border terrorism. However, the Afghan side attempted to dilute the discussion on the core issue by raising hypothetical allegations and unfounded claims.
The Foreign Office spokesperson said the Taliban regime appeared intent only on prolonging the temporary ceasefire without taking concrete action against banned groups TTP/FaK and BLA/FaH. “Instead of addressing Pakistan’s core concern, the Afghan regime used the talks to malign Pakistan through baseless accusations and rhetoric,” he added, noting that futile arguments were used to stonewall meaningful outcomes.
The Taliban has consistently misrepresented the presence of Pakistani terrorists in Afghanistan as a humanitarian issue. Many TTP/FaK members fled to Afghanistan after Pakistan’s 2015 Operation Zarb-e-Azb, assisted the Afghan Taliban against ISAF and the Afghan government, and are now harboured in Afghanistan with training camps to launch attacks on Pakistan. Pakistan has repeatedly demanded their handover, but the Taliban regime has refused, citing lack of control—a matter of intent rather than capability, according to Islamabad.
The spokesperson stressed that this is not a refugee issue. Pakistan is ready to receive any Pakistani citizens from Afghanistan, but only through proper border crossings and without armed groups crossing into its territory.
While Pakistan remains committed to dialogue with the Afghan government, it will not negotiate with terrorist groups such as TTP/FaK or BLA/FaH. Concrete action is essential to safeguard Pakistan’s people and national interests.
The spokesperson highlighted that within the Afghan Taliban, while some favour avoiding confrontation with Pakistan, a powerful lobby — supported by foreign actors — has sought to stoke tensions. Certain elements in the Taliban regime, along with anti-Pakistan terrorist groups, have leveraged this narrative to consolidate power and malign Pakistan, undermining goodwill in Islamabad.
He stressed that despite Taliban propaganda suggesting divisions within Pakistan over Afghan policy, there is nationwide consensus: ordinary Pakistanis are the primary victims of cross-border terrorism and the Armed Forces continue to make sacrifices to protect lives and property. Pakistan is fully capable of managing its internal challenges and has repeatedly urged the Taliban regime to halt support for terrorists targeting Pakistan.
Since August 2021, there has been a documented sharp rise in attacks originating from Afghan territory. Taliban denials cannot absolve them of responsibility, particularly as Afghan nationals now form part of terrorist groups operating inside Pakistan. Attempts to incite Pashtun nationalism in Pakistan are misguided; the country’s Pashtuns are integral to national life and governance, outnumbering their Afghan counterparts. Islamabad urges the Taliban to focus on inclusivity within Afghanistan rather than interfering in Pakistan’s domestic affairs.
While Pakistan remains committed to dialogue, it stressed that terrorism from Afghan soil must be addressed as a priority. Concrete measures against supporters, abettors and financiers of terrorism are essential.
Regarding the recent talks in Istanbul, diplomatic sources indicated they remain stalemated. Resumption is possible only if the Taliban regime engages constructively on Pakistan’s core demand: curbing cross-border terrorism.
Meanwhile, Turkiye’s foreign and defence ministers and intelligence chief plan to travel to Pakistan this week to discuss its stop-start talks with Afghanistan over a ceasefire in place in South Asia, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
According to an official readout on Sunday of his comments on a return flight from Baku, where he met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Erdogan said the tripartite visit aims to seal a permanent ceasefire and peace between the nations as soon as possible.
Separately, according to diplomatic sources, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araqchi has contacted Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi by phone and said that his country was ready to provide all possible assistance for reconciliation.
According to sources, Ishaq Dar and the Iranian foreign minister discussed bilateral relations, regional and international issues over the phone.
The Iranian FM offered to mediate and reconcile between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban and highlighted the importance of the ancient and friendly relations between the two countries.
According to diplomatic sources, Iran also expressed concern over the tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Iranian FM stressed that the two countries should continue talks. He said that Iran is ready to provide all possible assistance so that peace and reconciliation can be established between the two countries.
According to diplomatic sources, Ishaq Dar shed light on the recent talks with Afghanistan and the current situation in the telephonic conversation. He said that maintaining regional peace and stability is very important. The two sides agreed to continue communication and consultations on this issue.
Diplomatic sources say that the Iranian FM also made telephone contact with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.