Pakistan Says No Change in Afghan Policy, Rules Out Talks With TTP
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — WEB DESK: Pakistan has said there has been no change in its policy towards Afghanistan, reiterating that Islamabad expects the Afghan authorities to prevent their territory from being used by militant groups targeting Pakistan and ruling out negotiations with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Pakistan’s position remained consistent despite continuing diplomatic engagement with Afghanistan and regional efforts aimed at reducing tensions between Islamabad and Kabul.
The spokesperson said Pakistan wanted peaceful and stable relations with Afghanistan but continued to have serious concerns over militant violence originating from Afghan territory.
Islamabad has repeatedly accused the TTP and affiliated groups of using sanctuaries in Afghanistan to plan and conduct attacks inside Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban authorities have rejected accusations that they allow Afghan territory to be used for attacks against neighbouring countries.
Pakistan Rules Out Negotiations With TTP
Andrabi reiterated that Islamabad’s position on negotiations with the TTP had also not changed.
Pakistan does not intend to hold talks with the banned militant organisation, he said, maintaining the government’s position that engagement should take place with the Afghan authorities rather than directly with the TTP.
The distinction is important because Pakistan previously held negotiations with the TTP, including talks facilitated by the Afghan Taliban after they returned to power in Kabul in 2021.
A ceasefire agreed during that process eventually collapsed in November 2022, when the TTP announced an end to the truce and directed its fighters to resume attacks across Pakistan.
Since then, Islamabad’s publicly stated policy has hardened against renewed negotiations with the group.
Kabul Asked to Act Against Militants
Pakistan maintains that the Afghan authorities have obligations to prevent their territory from being used against other countries.
Islamabad has repeatedly called on Kabul to take “concrete and verifiable” action against the TTP and other militant organisations it says operate from Afghan soil.
The Afghan authorities dispute Pakistan’s allegations and have previously argued that Pakistan’s security challenges are primarily an internal matter.
That disagreement has become one of the most significant sources of tension between the neighbouring countries.
Pakistan has experienced a sustained increase in militant violence in recent years, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, making cross-border militancy a central element of Islamabad’s Afghanistan policy.
Diplomatic Engagement Continues
Despite the security dispute, Pakistan continues diplomatic engagement with Afghanistan.
The Foreign Office’s latest statement indicates that dialogue with Kabul does not represent a change in Pakistan’s underlying policy toward the Afghan government or militant groups.
Islamabad has maintained that it wants a peaceful, stable and economically connected Afghanistan while insisting that improved bilateral relations depend heavily on progress over terrorism and border security.
The two countries also share extensive economic and humanitarian links, including trade, transit routes and cross-border communities, making prolonged confrontation costly for both sides.
Regional governments have consequently encouraged Islamabad and Kabul to resolve their differences through diplomatic channels.
Pakistan’s latest clarification signals that while diplomatic contacts with Afghanistan can continue, Islamabad currently sees direct negotiations with the TTP as outside its policy framework.
Any future shift would therefore require a significant change from the position publicly reiterated by the Foreign Office.
