Afghan interim govt needs to move out of its 'militant mindset', says Tarar

Afghan interim govt needs to move out of its 'militant mindset', says Tarar

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday said the interim Afghan government needed to “move out of its militant mindset”, declaring it the root of all current problems between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Ties between the neighbours have been strained in the past few years as Islamabad continues to voice its concern over cross-border terrorism. Meanwhile, September witnessed another bout of conflict between the two. On Tuesday, addressing a seminar on the situation in Afghanistan and the prospects of peace, Tarar described it as the “Afghan predicament or Afghan conundrum”. He stressed that it was a “very complex” problem which required a long, lasting, and sustainable resolution. “Pakistan and Afghanistan have been, are, and will remain neighbours. We have international borders, linkages, connections. But our past has been turbulent,” the information minister noted. Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban administration in Kabul to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil, particularly those linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), that are used for attacks in Pakistan. Officials say those appeals have gone unheeded. According to a UN Security Council-mandated monitoring report — covering the period from Dec 16, 2025 to June 9, 2026 — Afg­han Taliban’s continued support for TTP has contributed to a rise in the frequency and lethality of terrorist attacks in Pakistan, even as Kabul has taken some initial steps to rein in the group. On Sept 21, in response to recent major terrorist attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan conducted “calibrated” airstrikes against terrorist hideouts in the border region with Afghanistan, with the government saying more than 28 terrorists were killed. Tarar had described the action as part of Operation Ghazab lil Haq, which was launched on the night of Feb 26 in response to unprovoked cross-border firing by the Afghan Taliban. Days later, Pakistan shot down eight drones launched from across the border that had entered Pakistani airspace near the Torkham border and Kohat. It was also reported that the Afghan Taliban engaged in unprovoked firing the night before near Kurram as security forces foiled an attempt by terrorists to cross into Pakistan. In retaliation to the drone incursion, Pakistan last week conducted “precision aerial and drone strikes” in 10 locations across Afghanistan. A demarche was also delivered to the Afghan side on Saturday on account of the Sept 23 airspace violation by drones. More to follow