Pakistan on Saturday rejected the Afghan Taliban government’s claim that Afghanistan had neither the capacity nor the interest to destabilise Pakistan. Islamabad described Kabul’s remarks as “diversionary allegations” and urged the Taliban administration to deal with Pakistan’s long-running security concerns about terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory.
The position was set out in a statement from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Islamabad said that blaming Pakistan’s security institutions would not relieve the Taliban government of its duty to stop Afghan soil being used for terrorism against Pakistan.
Pakistan cites UN and US findings on militant groups
The ministry said Pakistan’s concerns “are not based on conjecture,” pointing to assessments by the United Nations and the United States on the presence and activities of militant groups in Afghanistan. It referred to the 16th report (S/2025/796) from the UN Security Council’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, as well as a US Lead Inspector General report to Congress on Operation Enduring Sentinel covering January to March 2026.
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According to the ministry, the US report found that the Afghan Taliban continued to let the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) operate from Afghan territory. It said Taliban support and the greater freedom enjoyed by the group had contributed to more attacks on Pakistan. The report estimated the TTP’s strength at 4,000 to 6,000 fighters.
The ministry argued that these findings showed how serious Pakistan’s worries were about militant sanctuaries and support networks inside Afghanistan.
Border infiltration and alleged Taliban officials’ links
The ministry said Kabul’s assertion did not address the documented concerns. It added that repeated attempts by armed militants to infiltrate across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border deserved serious scrutiny.
The statement also referred to the killing of Afghan nationals and militants during Pakistani counterterrorism operations, as well as the recovery of weapons of foreign origin from militant elements. Pakistan had previously raised allegations that Afghan Taliban officials, including those in Kandahar, were facilitating militant groups. “Such concerns cannot be dismissed through blanket denials; they require credible explanations and verifiable action,” the ministry said.
Islamabad calls on Kabul to end support for militants
The ministry stressed that Pakistan’s security measures were aimed at terrorist threats, not at the Afghan people, and that peace in both countries was closely linked. It called on the Taliban government to end any tolerance, facilitation or support for proscribed groups, including the TTP, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and their affiliates. It also demanded that Afghan territory not be used to plan or launch attacks against Pakistan.
The statement warned that presenting Pakistan’s security concerns as hostility towards Afghanistan would neither shift attention from the issue nor resolve it. The ministry added that Pakistan would keep taking all necessary steps to protect its citizens, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Islamabad said it remained open to responsible engagement based on mutual respect, verifiable commitments and concrete action against sanctuaries, support networks and cross-border infiltration. However, the ministry said regional peace could prevail only if the Taliban government verifiably addressed terrorism originating from Afghanistan.
Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in cross-border militant incidents, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021. Pakistan recorded its highest monthly number of militant attacks in 12 years during September 2026. Islamabad has repeatedly urged Kabul to stop militant organisations using its territory to attack Pakistan, and it maintains that the Taliban regime has failed to act effectively against groups blamed for attacks on security forces and civilians. Despite several rounds of talks, the two sides have yet to resolve their differences, with militant groups operating from Afghan soil remaining a major point of contention.
