ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Sunday declared that Kabul will now be obligated to act against militants operating from Afghan territory following an agreement to establish a joint monitoring and verification mechanism with third-party participation.
His remarks came after Turkiye’s Foreign Ministry announced a joint statement affirming that Islamabad and Kabul had agreed to maintain the ceasefire and form a mechanism to verify compliance and penalise violations.
The understanding was reached during peace talks held in Istanbul from October 25 to 30, mediated by Turkiye and Qatar. Both sides pledged to sustain cooperation for lasting regional peace and stability.
Speaking on Geo News’ “Naya Pakistan”, Tarar praised Turkiye and Qatar for their role and emphasised that Pakistan’s civil and military leadership remained united and consistent in their stance. He reaffirmed that Pakistan’s demands were clear: an end to terrorism, prevention of cross-border attacks, and full respect for border sanctity, stressing that Afghan soil must not be used for assaults on Pakistan.
Tarar criticised what he termed the Taliban regime’s “propaganda warfare”, saying it was a fractured administration incapable of controlling the entire Afghan territory. “They cannot accuse Pakistan of destabilising Afghanistan while providing refuge to militants themselves,” he added.
He asserted that responsibility now lies squarely on Kabul to act against Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan—militant groups operating from its soil. The joint framework’s operational details will be finalised in the next round of talks scheduled for November 6 in Istanbul.
“This arrangement removes any justification for the Taliban administration to avoid acting against militants,” Tarar stressed. He added that the mechanism would give Pakistan an institutional platform to present intelligence and evidence of violations, thereby strengthening its diplomatic and security leverage.
Responding to Kabul’s claim that Islamabad rejected an offer to hand over terror suspects, Tarar clarified that Pakistan’s long-standing position remains that any militants threatening Pakistan must be controlled, arrested, and handed over via designated border crossings.
Islamabad-Kabul tensions
Since the Taliban takeover in 2021, Pakistan has faced a surge in terrorist attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban regime to curb cross-border terrorism, but the Afghan authorities have largely ignored these appeals while sheltering militant groups.
Tensions escalated after unprovoked border firing by Taliban forces on October 12, leading to retaliatory strikes by Pakistan that killed over 200 militants but also resulted in the martyrdom of 23 Pakistani soldiers.
Following mediation by Qatar and Turkiye, both sides agreed to a ceasefire on October 17. The Istanbul talks have since built on that understanding, paving the way for the creation of the new verification mechanism.
