Pakistan’s Prime Minister calls on Kabul to manage militant groups responsible for cross-border attacks

On Sunday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged the Taliban leadership in Kabul to take measures to stop militant groups from utilizing Afghan territory to launch attacks on Pakistan, emphasizing that such acts of violence pose a threat to regional stability and will not be accepted.

After completing a two-day official visit to Belarus, Sharif addressed reporters in London, reiterating Pakistan’s consistent calls for the Afghan interim government to honor its obligations under the 2020 Doha Agreement, which stipulates the prevention of armed groups operating within Afghanistan.

“We have always regarded Afghanistan as a neighboring and brotherly nation,” his office reported him stating following the press conference. “As neighbors, we must coexist — the decision lies in whether we choose peace or conflict.”

Sharif mentioned that Pakistan has conveyed multiple messages to Kabul, stressing that Afghan soil should never be used for militant activities.

“Regrettably, however, the TTP [Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan], ISKP [Islamic State Khorasan Province], and other terrorist organizations continue to function from there, resulting in the loss of innocent Pakistani lives,” he remarked.

The prime minister affirmed that the sacrifices made by Pakistani civilians and armed forces would not be in vain, urging Afghan authorities to take swift action against these militant groups.

“My earnest advice to Afghanistan is to immediately control these terrorist organizations and ensure that Afghan land is not exploited for such purposes,” he stated.

In recent years, tensions have escalated between Islamabad and Kabul due to an increase in militant attacks in Pakistan’s western provinces adjacent to Afghanistan. Islamabad attributes the cross-border violence to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a banned group that shares ideological ties with the Afghan Taliban, claiming they operate from secure locations within Afghanistan—an accusation that the Taliban government has consistently rejected.

Amidst this ongoing discord, Pakistan has expelled hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghan nationals since late 2023, citing security issues, which has drawn criticism from human rights organizations and prompted calls for dialogue from Kabul.