LONDON — Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan on Sunday called on the Taliban to take immediate action against militant groups operating from Afghanistan’s territory, including the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has been responsible for a string of deadly attacks inside Pakistan.
Speaking to reporters in London, Sharif said the Taliban must ensure that Afghanistan’s soil is not used for terrorism. “Afghanistan is a brotherly neighbor,” he said. “Now the responsibility lies with the Afghan government (Taliban) to choose whether it wants to live peacefully with its neighbors or remain entangled in conflict.”
His comments, reported by Aik News, reflect growing frustration in Islamabad over what it sees as the Taliban’s unwillingness to curb the TTP’s operations. Pakistani officials have repeatedly accused the Taliban of harboring or turning a blind eye to TTP fighters, who have escalated attacks on Pakistani security forces since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
Referring to the 2020 Doha Agreement between the Taliban and the United States, Sharif said the Taliban were obligated not to allow Afghan territory to be used by terrorist groups. He added that Pakistan has consistently conveyed this concern to the Taliban’s interim government.
The Taliban have denied the allegations, instead blaming Pakistan’s internal security failures for the rise in violence. Taliban officials maintain that they do not permit any group to use Afghanistan to threaten other nations.
However, a United Nations sanctions monitoring team reported earlier this year that between 5,000 to 6,000 TTP fighters are believed to be operating in Afghanistan.
Tensions between the two countries have escalated in recent months amid an uptick in border violence, targeted killings, and Pakistan’s controversial campaign to deport undocumented Afghan nationals.
