Pakistan Ready for Afghanistan Dialogue but Demands Verifiable Action Against Cross-Border Terrorism: Foreign Office

Pakistan is ready for dialogue with Afghanistan, but any meaningful engagement must be backed by a credible and verifiable mechanism to stop terrorist attacks launched from Afghan soil, the Foreign Office said on Friday, laying down Islamabad's toughest terms yet for talks with Kabul.

Main News Report

Foreign Office spokesperson Ambassador Sajjad Haider Khan set out the position at the Foreign Office's weekly media briefing in Islamabad on Friday, 23 October, in response to questions about renewed contact between the two neighbours.

"Pakistan is not averse to negotiations with Afghanistan," Khan said, adding that Islamabad had been engaged in talks with Kabul since 2021. But he stressed that Pakistan believed disputes could be resolved through dialogue only if engagement produced concrete results — above all on cross-border terrorism — Hum News English reported.

Citing reports by the United Nations monitoring team and the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), the spokesperson said more than 20 terrorist organisations were operating in Afghanistan, posing a security threat to Pakistan and the wider region. Terrorist violence in Pakistan had increased significantly over the past year, claiming the lives of more than 1,300 Pakistanis, the Associated Press of Pakistan's report of the briefing said.

Khan questioned the value of further dialogue unless the Afghan authorities acknowledged the presence of terrorist outfits on their territory and established a credible mechanism to prevent cross-border attacks. He added that Pakistan was not alone in its concerns, with China, Uzbekistan, Iran and other regional countries also worried about threats allegedly emanating from Afghanistan, the Express Tribune's account of the briefing reported.

The briefing ranged well beyond Afghanistan. On the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, Khan confirmed that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had completed their ratification processes while Türkiye was pursuing the requisite legal procedures. The agreement comprised 16 articles and contained no hidden provisions, he said, stressing that it was defensive in nature, consistent with the UN Charter and not directed against any particular country.

On US–Iran tensions, Khan said Pakistan remained in contact with both Washington and Tehran in its mediatory role and supported negotiations to resolve differences through dialogue rather than confrontation. Pakistan had also taken note of remarks by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio describing Pakistan as a nuclear-armed state, and noted that more than $5 billion worth of Pakistani exports went to the United States.

On the Indus Waters Treaty, the spokesperson called on the international community, including the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, to play their role in upholding international law, recalling that the National Security Committee had warned that any diversion of Pakistan's water would be considered an act of war.

Khan also rejected India's criticism of the Kashmir resolutions adopted at the 52nd session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's Council of Foreign Ministers in Baghdad, and expressed grave concern over an eviction notice issued to the historic Race Course Mosque in New Delhi, calling it an example of worsening Islamophobia in India.

Background Context

Pakistan has pursued diplomacy with the Afghan Taliban since they returned to power in 2021, engaging bilaterally and through forums involving Qatar, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, China and Russia, including the Moscow Format meetings held since 2017. According to Khan, however, these efforts failed to ease tensions because of what he described as the Taliban's "intransigence" — a reluctance to acknowledge the presence of terrorist organisations operating from their territory.

Islamabad has long accused militant groups — including the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and Baloch separatist outfits — of using Afghan sanctuaries to plan and launch attacks inside Pakistan, a charge the Afghan Taliban have repeatedly denied.

Probed about reports of communication between intelligence officials and Afghanistan's anti-Taliban leaders and the possibility of a proxy conflict, Khan reiterated Islamabad's stated preference for a negotiated settlement, the Express Tribune reported. He also said no new Russian mediation initiative was currently on the table.

The briefing comes as Pakistan's regional diplomacy moves on several fronts at once. As PakInsight Hub has reported, Türkiye is seeking a parliamentary mandate to deploy troops to Saudi Arabia under the Makkah defence pact, while the Badr multilateral defence memorandum was signed in Doha by Pakistan, Qatar, Türkiye and Indonesia to deepen joint military production. Separately, Pakistan's mediation role between the United States and Iran has brought both sides' envoys to Islamabad in recent days.

Reactions and Statements

• "Pakistan is not averse to negotiations with Afghanistan" — Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan, weekly briefing, Islamabad.
• "Afghanistan must take effective measures to prevent its territory from being used for terrorist activities against Pakistan and establish a credible mechanism to address these threats" — Khan, setting out Islamabad's demand.
• "There are no hidden provisions; the agreement is explicit and clear in its provisions and articles" — Khan on the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement's 16 articles.
• Khan said Pakistan preferred peace and the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law, while remaining prepared to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
• On the possibility of another conflict with India, Khan said war was not a solution to any issue, though the possibility of a false-flag operation could not be ruled out and Pakistan was prepared for all eventualities.

Why This News Matters

The briefing sets the clearest public terms yet for any future Pakistan–Afghanistan dialogue, linking engagement directly to verifiable counterterrorism action — a bar the Afghan Taliban have so far refused to meet. With more than 1,300 Pakistanis killed in terrorist violence in the past year, the demand for a "credible mechanism" carries the weight of domestic security pressure on the government.

It also frames the wider diplomatic moment: Pakistan is simultaneously managing the Makkah defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, mediating between the US and Iran, and pressing the Indus Waters Treaty case internationally — positioning Islamabad as a regional interlocutor on multiple fronts.

Future Developments

Diplomatic attention now shifts to Istanbul, where the Regional Four foreign ministers' meeting — Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Egypt — is to be followed by a gathering with the United Kingdom, France and Germany. The meetings are expected to address regional developments, maritime security, Yemen, the Houthis and the Strait of Hormuz.

Whether Kabul responds to Islamabad's demand for a verifiable mechanism will determine if dialogue resumes at all. On the European front, Pakistan and the European Union held the 10th round of their bilateral counterterrorism dialogue in Islamabad this week, with the next round scheduled in Brussels in 2027.

Sources

• UrduPoint / Associated Press of Pakistan: "Pakistan Ready For Afghanistan Dialogue, Demands Credible Action Against Terrorist Threats"
• Hum News English: "Pakistan ready for talks with Kabul if it acts against terrorists: FO"
• The Express Tribune: "Makkah pact ratification completed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia: FO"

#Pakistan #PakistanNews #Afghanistan #ForeignOffice #BreakingNews #Security #Diplomacy