Fazlur Rehman, leader of Pakistan’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) party, said on Sunday that Islamabad’s policy toward Afghanistan has “failed,” urging the government to reassess its regional strategy amid rising tensions with the Taliban administration.
Speaking at a gathering in Mardan, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Rehman said Pakistan had been unable to build lasting trust with Afghanistan. “In 78 years, Pakistan has not been able to make Afghanistan its friend. You only know war. You cannot solve this problem,” he told supporters. He added that there should be no armed conflict between the two countries and no internal fighting in Pakistan.
Rehman called on the government to “review its policies for peace in the region,” saying militant groups were obstructing normal relations between the two sides.
He also urged the Taliban to play a role in resolving the current dispute and said his party does not support “militancy” inside Pakistan. Rehman is widely viewed as politically close to the Taliban and travelled to Kabul after they returned to power in 2021.
His remarks come as tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban have intensified in recent months, with both sides trading warnings and public accusations. On Saturday, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Islamabad was prepared to launch a “clearing operation” inside Afghanistan during the height of the recent standoff, but halted the plan following urgent requests from Qatar.
Dar said Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister were in “hourly contact” with him at the time, asking Pakistan to hold back so that Doha could assume a mediating role. The operation, which Dar said would have served as a “lesson” to the Taliban, was cancelled following a joint decision by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan’s army chief.
