KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban on Tuesday rejected recent comments by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, accusing Islamabad of deflecting blame for its own internal security issues onto Afghanistan.
Hamdullah Fitrat, Taliban deputy spokesman, said Afghanistan should not be held responsible for what he called Pakistan’s “failed policies.” He reiterated that the Taliban administration does not permit any group to use Afghan soil for hostile actions against neighboring countries.
“Once again, we reject Pakistan’s allegations,” Fitrat said. “We do not allow any activity or operation against Pakistan from Afghanistan.”
His remarks came in response to a statement by Sharif during a media appearance in London, where the Pakistani leader urged the Taliban to act decisively against militant groups, including Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Sharif emphasized that the Taliban must ensure Afghan territory is not used for terrorism.
“Afghanistan is our neighboring brother country,” Sharif said. “Now the responsibility lies with the Taliban to decide whether they want to live as peaceful neighbors or remain entangled in conflict.”
Moreover, a UN monitoring team’s report last year showed that at least 6,000 members of the TTP, the Pakistan Taliban, were in Afghanistan.
The exchange comes amid renewed tensions following a blast last Thursday in front of the Taliban police headquarters in Kandahar. While Taliban officials attributed the explosion to the accidental detonation of old munitions stored in a container, other sources told Amu that it was the result of an airstrike targeting a meeting between leaders of the TTP and the Baloch Liberation Movement. The sources said the participants had vacated the area shortly before the strike.
The incident has fueled speculation about the presence of regional militant networks operating from southern Afghanistan, a long-standing concern for Pakistani officials who accuse the Taliban of harboring fighters responsible for cross-border attacks.
