In a strong statement issued on Wednesday, Pakistan’s Defence Minister warned Afghanistan that any future “terrorist or suicide attack” originating from its territory would trigger a significant response. This came just hours after peace negotiations between the two nations in Istanbul failed to yield an agreement.
Earlier this month, the Pakistani military conducted strikes on what it identified as hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban within Afghanistan, reportedly killing numerous insurgents. Afghanistan, however, claimed these casualties were civilians and retaliated by attacking Pakistani military positions, asserting that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed. Pakistan’s military reported 23 soldier fatalities in the ensuing border clashes.
A ceasefire, brokered by countries including Qatar, was agreed upon in Doha on October 19. This was followed by four days of talks in Istanbul, which ultimately concluded without a resolution.
On the social media platform X, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif conveyed directly to Afghanistan’s Taliban Government that “any terrorist attack or suicide bombing inside Pakistan shall give you the bitter taste of such misadventures.”
Kabul has yet to officially comment on the breakdown of the peace discussions or on Mr. Asif’s remarks. However, Afghanistan’s state broadcaster RTA indicated that the negotiations faltered due to what it termed “irrational demands” from Pakistan.
According to RTA, Islamabad had sought assurances that no attacks would be launched from Afghan territory. In response, the Taliban delegation maintained that the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, was an internal matter for Islamabad.
Pakistan has consistently accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of overlooking the operations of Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups from Afghan soil. Kabul vehemently denies these allegations.
Pakistan has recently experienced a significant increase in militant attacks, with most being claimed by the Pakistani Taliban. This group, while distinct from the Afghan Taliban, has grown bolder since the latter’s return to power in Kabul in 2021. Many Pakistani Taliban leaders and fighters have been residing in Afghanistan since that time.
Mr. Asif’s strongly worded tweet further accused Kabul of “blindly pushing Afghanistan into yet another conflict” in an effort to maintain what he described as its “usurped rule and war economy.”
He further declared, “Let me assure them that Pakistan does not require to employ even a fraction of its full arsenal to completely obliterate the Taliban regime and push them back to the caves for hiding.”
Despite the unsuccessful outcome of the talks, the ceasefire appears to remain in effect, with no new clashes reported along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Both nations have closed all major border crossings, leaving hundreds of trucks laden with goods and numerous refugee families stranded on both sides.
At the Chaman border crossing in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, hundreds of Afghan refugee families and traders expressed their profound frustration and anxiety regarding the failed negotiations.
“We came to know that the talks failed,” remarked Ajab Khan, an Afghan refugee awaiting passage amidst a long line of trucks carrying household items. “Now we are going back to Afghanistan, but it’s a scary situation. We don’t know how we will survive there.”