Federal Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif has categorically rejected the allegations levelled by Acting Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Stanikzai, terming them baseless, concocted and contrived attempts to shift blame.
The minister referred to a recent UN monitoring team report that identified over two dozen terrorist groups, including the Tehreek-r-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), operating in Afghanistan.
“Afghanistan remained the hub for ISKP’s recruitment and facilitation in 2024,” he said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Khawaja Asif urged the Afghan interim authorities to fulfil their international commitments. “The interim Afghan authorities are well advised to fulfil the assurances given to the international community by dismantling terrorist infrastructure and taking visible and verifiable actions to prevent Afghan soil from being used against other countries,” he added.
The minister’s remarks come in the wake of a series of threatening statements by senior Afghan Taliban leaders. Earlier, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Stanikzai warned of sending fighters across the border if Pakistan did not “mend its ways”.
Pakistan has been raising concerns about Afghanistan harbouring the proscribed TTP. Following recent terrorist attacks, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif asserted that any aggression from across the border would cross Pakistan’s red line.
While saying that Pakistan preferred dialogue to resolve issues, PM Shehbaz maintained that the Taliban must stop providing sanctuary to the TTP for meaningful progress.
The presence of militant groups in Afghanistan under Taliban rule has long been a source of tension in regional security discussions. Countries such as Russia, Iran, and China, which have maintained diplomatic ties with the Taliban, have repeatedly urged the group to prevent Afghan soil from being used for cross-border attacks.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan continue to deteriorate, with both nations accusing each other of sheltering militants responsible for cross-border violence.
