Islamabad, 25 October (H.S.):

Pakistan has rejected the Afghan Taliban administration’s recent assertion that Afghanistan neither has the capacity nor the intention to destabilise Pakistan, describing Kabul’s remarks as “diversionary” and urging the authorities to address Islamabad’s longstanding security concerns over terrorist groups allegedly operating from Afghan territory.

According to a report by The News, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in a statement issued on Saturday that blaming Pakistani security agencies would not absolve the Afghan Taliban administration of its responsibility to prevent Afghan territory from being used for terrorist activities against Pakistan.

“Pakistan’s concerns are not based on conjecture,” the ministry said, citing assessments by the United Nations and the United States regarding the presence and activities of terrorist groups in Afghanistan.

According to the ministry, a US report stated that the Afghan Taliban continued to allow the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to operate from Afghan territory. It further said that the Taliban’s alleged support for the group and the greater freedom it enjoyed had contributed to an increase in attacks against Pakistan. The report estimated that the TTP had between 4,000 and 6,000 fighters.

The ministry said these assessments underscored the seriousness of Pakistan’s concerns regarding terrorist sanctuaries and support networks allegedly operating from Afghan soil.

It maintained that Kabul’s assertion that Afghanistan lacked the capacity or interest to destabilise Pakistan did not address the substantive security concerns raised by Islamabad. The ministry added that repeated attempts by armed militants to infiltrate across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border warranted serious scrutiny.

The statement also referred to Afghan nationals and members of terrorist groups allegedly killed during Pakistan’s counterterrorism operations, as well as the recovery of foreign-origin weapons from militant operatives. Pakistan said these developments required closer examination as part of its broader security concerns.

Islamabad has also expressed concern over the alleged facilitation of terrorist groups by Afghan Taliban officials, including officials based in Kandahar. The ministry said such allegations could not be addressed through blanket denials and required credible explanations and verifiable action.

“Such concerns cannot be dismissed through blanket denials; they require credible explanations and verifiable action,” the ministry stated.

The ministry stressed that Pakistan’s security measures were directed against terrorist threats and were not aimed at the Afghan people. It also emphasised that peace and stability in the two neighbouring countries were closely interconnected, adding that both populations stood to benefit from a region free of terrorism.

Pakistan called on the Afghan Taliban administration to end any tolerance, facilitation or support for banned terrorist organisations, including the TTP, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and their affiliated groups. It urged Kabul to ensure that Afghan territory was not used to plan, prepare or launch attacks against Pakistan.

“Attempts to portray Pakistan’s legitimate security concerns and necessary defensive measures as hostility towards Afghanistan will neither deflect attention from the issue nor resolve it,” the statement said.

The ministry reiterated that Pakistan would continue to take all necessary measures to protect its citizens, sovereignty and territorial integrity. It also said Islamabad remained open to constructive engagement based on mutual respect, verifiable commitments and concrete action against terrorist sanctuaries, support networks and cross-border infiltration.

The statement concluded that lasting regional peace would depend on the Afghan Taliban administration taking verifiable steps to address Pakistan’s concerns about terrorism originating from Afghan territory.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar