Pakistani religious scholars have urged the Taliban to prevent militant and criminal groups from operating on Afghan soil against Pakistan and called for rising tensions between the two sides to be resolved through dialogue.
In a joint statement issued after a public gathering, the scholars said Afghanistan’s territory should not be used for activities hostile to Pakistan, warning that allowing such groups to operate would undermine stability and relations between the two countries.
The statement also said education is a religious obligation for both men and women and that no one should be deprived of learning, without explicitly naming Afghanistan.
Separately, Fazlur Rehman, the leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, criticised recent Pakistani military strikes inside Afghanistan, including in Kabul, describing them as “questionable”.
Rehman said successive Afghan governments – from the era of King Zahir Shah to former president Ashraf Ghani – had aligned more closely with India, while he claimed the Taliban had been more inclined towards Pakistan. He said recent tensions risked weakening that relationship.
“An attack on Kabul is difficult to justify,” Rehman said, comparing it to a hypothetical Indian strike on Pakistan’s Kashmir region.
Pakistan’s military recently carried out air strikes in Afghanistan’s border provinces as well as areas of Kabul and Spin Boldak district in Kandahar, actions that drew strong reactions from Afghan officials.
Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Taliban of allowing the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP, to operate from Afghan territory – an allegation the Taliban deny. Pakistan’s army chief recently claimed that around 70% of TTP fighters were Afghan nationals.
Relations between the Taliban and Pakistan have deteriorated sharply over the past three months. Multiple rounds of talks have failed to ease tensions, border crossings have remained closed for extended periods, and militant attacks inside Pakistan have increased.
In the latest incident, Pakistani media reported that four police officers were killed in an armed attack by unidentified assailants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
