ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s Foreign Office has once again urged Afghanistan to ensure that its soil is not used for terrorist activities targeting Pakistan, as Islamabad closely monitors the recent diplomatic engagement between Kabul and New Delhi.
Speaking at the weekly media briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said Pakistan respects Afghanistan’s sovereignty and its right to maintain relations with any country. However, he emphasized that Afghan territory must not become a launching ground for attacks against Pakistan.
“Afghanistan is a sovereign and independent nation, and Pakistan has no objections to its diplomatic outreach,” the spokesperson noted. “Our only expectation, in line with international norms, is that Afghan soil should not be used to threaten Pakistan’s security.”
The statement came shortly after Afghan Interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi arrived in India for a weeklong visit the first by a senior Taliban official since the group seized power in August 2021. India, which had previously closed its Kabul embassy following the Taliban takeover, has now decided to restore full diplomatic operations a move seen as a significant policy shift.
Reports in Indian media suggest that discussions between New Delhi and Kabul included potential cooperation in technical sectors such as water resource management a sensitive topic for Pakistan given its longstanding water disputes with India under the stalled Indus Waters Treaty.
Diplomatic circles in Islamabad see the timing of Muttaqi’s visit as particularly telling, given the current strain in Pakistan-Afghanistan relations over cross-border militancy and Islamabad’s intensified operations against the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Addressing the issue, Shafqat Ali Khan reaffirmed Pakistan’s “unwavering commitment to protecting its citizens” from terrorist threats. He said that the country’s security forces conduct intelligence-based counterterrorism operations along the Afghan frontier “with precision and professionalism.”
“These operations are not random,” he stressed. “They are planned meticulously based on verified intelligence to eliminate threats posed by extremist groups such as Fitna al-Khwarij and the TTP.”
Despite the tensions, Pakistan maintains that dialogue remains the preferred path forward. “While we respect Afghanistan’s sovereignty, Pakistan believes that mutual cooperation and diplomacy are essential to addressing the shared challenge of terrorism,” the spokesperson concluded.
