Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, has said that Islamabad has repeatedly held talks with the Taliban but has so far received no practical guarantees from them.
Speaking on Tuesday in the National Assembly, he stated that if terrorist incidents occur in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, they are the result of activities being conducted from Afghan soil.
He added that efforts to engage and communicate with the Taliban have not gone unanswered, and that senior Pakistani officials, intelligence chiefs, and other representatives have all been involved in the process. According to him, the Taliban had expressed agreement on many issues but had refused to provide written guarantees.
Khawaja Asif further said that the Taliban had even requested financial assistance, while Islamabad had instead demanded assurances that Afghan territory would not be used against Pakistan and that armed groups would not be provided safe havens.
He claimed that meetings with the Taliban had also taken place in Turkey and Qatar, attended by a delegation led by Mullah Yaqoob, the Taliban’s Defence Minister, but said these talks also ended without results.
The Pakistani Defence Minister also stated that since 2022, 4,317 people have been killed in terrorist attacks, including both security personnel and civilians. He added that this situation is the result of groups that have “been guests of Pakistan for years.”
However, he also acknowledged that Pakistan’s past policies, particularly decisions made in the 1980s, played a role in shaping the current situation.
Khawaja Asif told members of parliament that if anyone wishes to resume talks with the Taliban, they should form a jirga and travel to Afghanistan, but emphasized that such talks must be accompanied by clear outcomes and guarantees.
Pakistan alleges that attacks against it are orchestrated from Afghan territory, while the Taliban reject these claims, stating that Pakistan’s security problems are internal. The Taliban have also accused Pakistan of carrying out military operations and airstrikes that result in civilian casualties.
Writer:Saeed Sameer
