By Iftikhar Mashwani
ISLAMABAD: Afghan Taliban only participated in talks with Pakistan this past week to prolong a temporary ceasefire between the two nations and did not take any action against terrorist elements operating from their soil.This was stated by Foreign Office Spokesman 0n Sunday.
Talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban followed weeks of shuttle diplomacy after deadly border clashes last month. On Friday, the talks broke down, with Defence Minister Khawaja Asif saying that the negotiations “entered an indefinite phase”, but a temporary ceasefire between Kabul and Islamabad still stands.
In a statement on Sunday (today), the FO said: “Anyone following the talks held under the mediation of brotherly countries of Turkiye and Qatar, could easily discern that the Taliban regime was only interested in prolonging the temporary ceasefire, but without taking concrete and verifiable actions against the TTP/FaK (Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan/Fitna-al-Khawarij) and BLA/FaH (Balochistan Liberation Army/Fitna-al-Hindustan) elements present on Afghan soil.”
Fitna-al-Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned TTP. It later designated Balochistan-based groups as Fitna-al-Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan.
“Instead of finding solutions to address Pakistan’s core concern, [the] Afghan regime used the opportunity to malign Pakistan through hypothetical accusations and jingoistic rhetoric,” the statement added. “It prolonged discussions and engaged in futile arguments to stonewall the efforts at reaching any concrete understanding.”
The statement added that at the same time, the Afghan Taliban regime tried to paint the issue of Pakistani terrorists hiding in Afghanistan as a humanitarian issue.
“In the aftermath of Pakistan’s ‘Operation Zarb-i-Azb’ in 2015, terrorists belonging to the so-called TTP/FaK fled to Afghanistan,” the statement read. “They abetted [the] Afghan Taliban in their fight against the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) and [the] Afghan Government of the time. These terrorists and their families are now being harbored by Taliban regime as a payback for their allegiance to Afghan Taliban.”
Despite the breakdown of the negotiations, the statement emphasized that Pakistan has never turned down dialogue with “any government in Kabul”, but affirmed that it would not hold dialogue with any terrorist group.
The FO noted that since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, terrorist attacks in Pakistan surged, with the attacks “emanating from Afghan soil”. It added that despite the attacks, Islamabad maintained restraint and took no retaliatory action.
“Pakistan’s expectation was that with passage of time, Taliban regime would be able to control these attacks and take concrete actions against the TTP/FaK elements present on Afghan soil,” the statement read, adding that Pakistan tried to foster positive ties through providing humanitarian assistance and encouraging trade.
“However, despite all these positive gestures by Pakistan in terms of trade, humanitarian assistance, educational and medical visas facilitation and efforts at international forums to encourage the international community to engage with [the] Taliban regime in the interest of regional peace and stability, and for the socio-economic development of Afghanistan and its people, the response from the Taliban regime has only been hollow promises and inaction.”
The statement reiterated Pakistan’s demand that the Afghan Taliban hand over these terrorists to Islamabad’s custody, adding that Kabul repeatedly refused to do so, citing a lack of control.
“More than being a matter of capability, it has become a matter of intent of Taliban regime. Empty hopes and hollow promises rendered by Taliban regime so far have already outlived their efficacy,” the FO stated.
“Taliban regime is also trying to portray the TTP/FaK and BLA/FaH elements as refugees in Afghanistan. This is not a humanitarian or a refugee issue, but a ploy to frame terrorists as refugees.”
The statement added: “Instead of acting upon the core expectation from Pakistan … not to allow Afghan territory to be used for attacks against Pakistan, the Taliban regime has always tried to shy away from taking concrete and verifiable actions.”
The FO said Kabul has tried to “confuse the main issue with other relatively irrelevant and hypothetical issues” and keeps trying to “develop a narrative which absolves [the] Taliban regime of its commitments and responsibilities towards international community and its own people.”
The statement affirmed that Pakistan’s response to attacks launched from Afghanistan’s territory would leave “no stone unturned” to safeguard its sovereignty and citizens, adding that anyone supporting or abetting terrorists is “not considered a friend” of Islamabad’s.
