Pakistan links improved relations with Afghanistan to action against TTP
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that a significant improvement in relations with Afghanistan will depend on concrete and verifiable action by the Taliban against Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the BLA and other organizations that, Islamabad claims, operate from Afghan territory against Pakistan. Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said this at a briefing, Dawn reports.
Andrabi welcomed China’s continued facilitation of diplomatic contacts regarding Afghanistan, but stressed that external facilitation cannot replace Kabul’s actions against terrorist infrastructure. According to him, Pakistan’s position has not changed: progress in bilateral relations is possible if there are written, verifiable guarantees that Afghan territory will not be used for terrorism against Pakistan.
Contacts facilitated by China
The statement came amid intensified diplomatic contacts. Chinese Special Representative Yue Xiaoyong visited Islamabad to revive the Urumqi process aimed at preventing further escalation. Afghan Ambassador Sardar Shakib was also invited to speak at Pakistan’s National Defence University.
At the same time, Andrabi urged against interpreting the Afghan diplomat’s speech as a sign of improving bilateral relations. He noted that ambassadors’ visits to academic institutions are common practice and cannot be a criterion for assessing the state of relations between countries.
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The latest report by the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team stated that the Taliban had relocated about 2,000 TTP fighters and their family members from areas near the Pakistani border. The document also said that Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada had warned the group against attacks on Pakistan, but Taliban support for the TTP continued while the group intensified attacks and expanded its organizational structure.
Statements on Iran and India
Separately, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated that the resumption of hostilities between the United States and Iran should not be considered a failure of Pakistan’s mediation efforts. He said Islamabad continues its contacts and expects the sides to return to negotiations after the end of the “logic of escalation.” Pakistan is also assessing the possible impact of new US sanctions against Iran on bilateral trade between Islamabad and Tehran.
Andrabi also called on India to fully implement the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty. He stated that New Delhi’s refusal to recognize the Arbitration Court’s decision of August 31 does not cancel India’s obligations under the treaty and the court’s decision.
