Terrorism from Afghanistan remains barrier to Pakistan-Kabul ties

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting stated that terrorism originating from Afghan territory is the primary obstacle to improving relations between Islamabad and Kabul. The ministry has urged Afghan Taliban leadership to take decisive action against militant groups operating from Afghan soil, emphasizing that protecting Pakistani citizens is an uncompromising priority.

According to Dawn, Islamabad has repeatedly called on the Taliban administration to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries, specifically those linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) used to launch attacks in Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban have avoided taking a categorical position regarding the TTP and other groups.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that Washington has heard Pakistan's concerns regarding terrorism emanating from Afghanistan. Rubio noted that the US has seen some of the attacks pointed to by Pakistan and stated that if there is a productive role for the US to play, they would play it. He added that the US is against terrorism regardless of where it emanates from or who it targets, while noting the US does not necessarily have the closest relationship with the Afghan Taliban.

Brief written by urgent.news from Daily Times, Dawn — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.