The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Pakistan said Friday that talks with the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan cannot be unconditional, insisting that any dialogue must address its security concerns and include a verifiable mechanism to stop ‘attacks originating from Afghan territory.’
Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan rejected
suggestions that Islamabad was reluctant to engage with the Taliban, saying
Pakistan would welcome sincere efforts by friendly countries to help resolve
the dispute and promote regional peace and stability.
“Pakistan is not shying away from discussions or dialogue,
including with representatives of Afghanistan,” Khan said at the Foreign
Office’s weekly media briefing.
His remarks came as Russia renewed its offer to mediate
between Pakistan and the Taliban authorities. Khan said he was not aware of any
separate, formal Russian mediation initiative under discussion but added that
Islamabad remained open to engagement that could produce tangible results.
Russia, which has formally recognized the Taliban
government, has offered to facilitate a settlement if both sides request its
involvement. Moscow’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, raised the
possibility earlier this month after the latest round of Moscow Format
consultations on Oct. 5 ended without a joint communiqué.
Khan said the failure to issue a joint statement reflected
disagreements over language concerning terrorist networks operating from
Afghanistan. He said the Taliban delegation had declined to accept wording that
had appeared in the previous year’s document.
The disagreement centers on Pakistan’s demand for action
against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, and other militant groups that
Islamabad says use Afghan territory to launch attacks across the border. The
Taliban authorities have rejected Pakistan’s allegations that Afghanistan is
being used as a base for attacks against its neighbor.
Pakistan has repeatedly raised the issue at international
forums, but efforts to ease tensions have yet to produce a lasting settlement.
Qatar and Turkiye helped broker a ceasefire between Pakistan
and the Taliban authorities in October 2025, while Saudi Arabia separately
hosted discussions. China also held talks between the two sides in Urumqi in
April. Those efforts have not resolved the dispute over militant groups and
measures to prevent cross-border attacks.
Khan said Pakistan wanted any dialogue with the Taliban to
be backed by a mechanism capable of verifying that attacks originating from
Afghan territory had stopped.
“The talks will not be unconditional,” he said, criticizing
what he described as inconsistent actions by the Taliban authorities.
“Pakistan has only one demand that there should be a
verifiable mechanism to ensure complete cessation of terrorist activities
emanating from Afghan soil against Pakistan,” Khan said.
