Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan has issued one of his starkest warnings yet to Taliban, telling them they must choose between cooperating with Islamabad or supporting militant groups that attack Pakistani security forces.
Speaking at the funeral of soldiers killed in recent clashes with insurgents, Sharif said militants cross the border from Afghanistan to join the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, and allied groups. “I have a clear message for Afghanistan,” he said in a televised address. “Choose between supporting terrorists and cooperating honestly with Islamabad. If Afghanistan continues backing them, it should not expect friendship with Pakistan.”
The Pakistani military echoed the warning in a statement posted on social media, claiming that Afghan nationals had physically taken part in recent attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. It also alleged that some groups, including the Baloch Liberation Army, were receiving support from India and operating from Afghan territory.
The Taliban administration in Kabul has not responded publicly to the allegations. A spokesman for the group did not answer questions sent by Amu regarding Pakistani claims of Afghan involvement in cross-border attacks.
The warnings come after a surge of violence in northwestern Pakistan, where security forces have been battling the TTP and Baloch insurgents in recent weeks. Both sides have reported heavy casualties.
For years, Pakistan has accused the Taliban of sheltering or tolerating militant groups on Afghan soil, despite repeated denials from Kabul. The United Nations sanctions monitoring team has reported that networks including Al Qaeda, the Islamic State affiliate known as ISIS-K, the TTP, and several Central Asian militant factions continue to operate inside Afghanistan.
