ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has urged the Afghan Taliban government to end all forms of support, facilitation and tolerance for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and their affiliated groups, stressing that Afghan territory must not be used to plan or carry out terrorist attacks against Pakistan.
In a statement responding to recent remarks by the Afghan Taliban government, the ministry said that attempts to shift blame would not divert attention from Pakistan’s longstanding and legitimate security concerns. It maintained that Islamabad’s concerns were not based merely on speculation but were linked to international reports and documented evidence.
The ministry referred to the sixteenth report of the United Nations Security Council’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, document S/2025/796, which reviewed the presence and activities of terrorist groups in Afghanistan.
The statement also cited a report submitted to the US Congress by the US Lead Inspector General concerning Operation Enduring Sentinel for the period from January to March 2026.
According to the Pakistani ministry’s account of the report, the Afghan Taliban had continued to allow the TTP to operate from Afghan territory. It further stated that increased Taliban support and greater operational freedom had contributed to a rise in attacks against Pakistan.
The statement put the estimated strength of TTP fighters at between 4,000 and 6,000.
Pakistan’s information ministry said these assessments underscored the seriousness of its concerns regarding alleged terrorist safe havens and support networks inside Afghanistan.
The ministry highlighted repeated attempts by armed militants to infiltrate Pakistan across the Afghan border. It also referred to the deaths of Afghan nationals and members of terrorist groups during Pakistan’s counterterrorism operations, as well as the recovery of foreign-made weapons from suspected terrorist elements.
It said these issues required serious investigation and expressed concern over alleged facilitation of terrorist groups by Afghan Taliban officials, including authorities stationed in Kandahar.
According to the statement, these concerns should not be dismissed through denials alone. Pakistan called for credible explanations and verifiable practical measures to address them.
The ministry stressed that Pakistan’s security measures were directed against terrorist threats, not the Afghan people.
It said peace and stability in Pakistan and Afghanistan were interconnected and that a region free from terrorism would serve the interests of the populations of both countries.
Pakistan called on the Afghan Taliban government to end all forms of support, facilitation and tolerance for terrorist organisations, including the TTP, the BLA and their affiliated groups.
The ministry said the Afghan authorities must take concrete steps to ensure that Afghan territory was not used to plan, prepare or execute attacks against Pakistan.
Islamabad Says It Will Continue Necessary Security Measures
The statement said that portraying Pakistan’s legitimate security concerns and necessary defensive measures as hostility towards Afghanistan would neither resolve the underlying problem nor divert attention from it.
Pakistan, the ministry added, would continue taking all necessary measures to protect its citizens, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
At the same time, Islamabad reiterated its readiness for responsible dialogue based on mutual respect, verifiable assurances, and concrete action against terrorist safe havens, support networks and cross-border infiltration.
The ministry concluded that lasting peace in the region would be possible only if the Afghan Taliban government addressed Pakistan’s fundamental concerns about terrorism originating from Afghan territory through practical and verifiable measures.
Editorial note: The allegations and assessments concerning the Afghan Taliban and militant groups are attributed to Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The cited reports should be consulted directly to independently verify their precise findings and wording.