Senior Taliban and Pakistani officials exchanged conciliatory remarks this week despite heightened tensions between the two sides over security issues.
Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani thanked Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar for what he described as positive recent statements about Afghanistan, while Dar welcomed a religious ruling by clerics aligned with the Taliban calling for a ban on fighting outside Afghan territory.
Speaking in Kabul on Sunday, Dec. 28, Haqqani said he appreciated comments made by Pakistani religious scholars and Dar in support of stability in Afghanistan.
“A few days ago, a meeting was held in Pakistan where religious scholars, including Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Mufti Taqi Usmani, spoke positively about Afghanistan,” Haqqani said. “We are thankful for these positions and for the recent statements by Pakistan’s foreign minister.”
Dar, speaking earlier amid ongoing tensions, described the religious ruling as a positive development, though he cautioned that its implementation remained to be seen.
“I believe this is a welcome step,” Dar said. “For the first time, they issued a fatwa saying Afghan soil would not be used for terrorism against any country. Pakistan was not named, but it is included. Now we will see whether this is implemented.”
The comments come against the backdrop of strained relations between Islamabad and the Taliban authorities, with Pakistan accusing Afghanistan-based militants, including the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), of carrying out attacks on its soil. The Taliban have repeatedly denied providing support to such groups.
Tensions escalated in recent months following border clashes and a surge in militant attacks in Pakistan’s northwest.
Earlier, Pakistani religious figures, including Fazlur Rehman, had criticised Islamabad’s policies towards the Taliban, calling for dialogue.
Separately, Pakistani media reported this week that police in Islamabad detained 41 suspects, including four Afghan nationals, during a security sweep in the Sangjani area, seizing weapons, ammunition and narcotics.
Analysts say the exchange of conciliatory remarks has yet to translate into a clear shift in relations, noting that deep mistrust remains between the two sides over security and militant activity.
