Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called on the international community to urge the Taliban to meet their international obligations and curb militant groups operating from Afghanistan’s territory.
Speaking at an international forum in Ashgabat marking the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s permanent neutrality, Sharif said Islamabad needed global support to address what he described as the threat posed by militancy.
“We need the international community to urge the Afghan Taliban regime to fulfil its international obligations and commitments and rein in terrorists operating from its territory,” Sharif said.
He thanked Qatar, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates for helping broker a ceasefire between Pakistan and the Taliban authorities, adding that while the ceasefire was holding, it remained “very fragile.”
Sharif said Pakistan remained committed to peaceful dispute resolution and cited the UN Security Council’s adoption earlier this year of Resolution 2788, sponsored by Pakistan, which calls for strengthening international mechanisms for settling disputes through peaceful means.
Sharif is in Turkmenistan on a two-day visit and held talks earlier with President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, pledging to strengthen bilateral ties, including trade, economic cooperation and regional connectivity. He also attended a ceremony at the Monument of Neutrality in Ashgabat.
Leaders from several countries, including Russia and Turkiye, attended the forum. This comes as Pakistan has repeatedly asked the Taliban to act against TTP fighters in Afghanistan.
Taliban have rejected the presence of the group in Afghanistan. However, UN has reported that TTP has almost 6,000 fighters in Afghanistan.
Taliban and Pakistan have faced unprecedented tensions over the past two months. Amidst these tensions, major border crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan have remained closed for the past two months, leaving thousands of trucks stranded on both sides.
