In a post on X, Afghan Taliban Spokesperson wrote Pakistan had “bombed” Afghanistan's Khost province and carried out air strikes in Kunar and Paktika. Islamabad has not yet officially responded to this statement.
The aforementioned strikes were reportedly carried out on the same day Federal Constabulary (FC) soldiers repelled multiple attackers, including a suicide bomber, who attempted to storm their headquarters in Peshawar. At least three paramilitary personnel were martyred and 11 others were injured in the attack.
Talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Istanbul have stalled, with no breakthrough on Islamabad’s demand for a concrete plan to dismantle terrorist networks operating from Afghan soil. Despite mediation by Turkish officials, the Taliban delegation has refused to provide written guarantees.
A security source earlier told The Express Tribune, "The logical and reasoned demands that Pakistan has presented are legitimate, but the Afghan Taliban delegation is not ready to fully accept them".
"The message from Islamabad was clear – no compromise on terrorism. Pakistan has presented specific proposals seeking verifiable measures to dismantle the TTP network and prevent cross-border attacks," said another source privy to the matter.
Pakistan has since decided to keep its border crossings with Afghanistan shut for an indefinite period, signalling a hardened stance until the Afghan Taliban regime took “verifiable and irreversible” action against terrorist outfits, particularly TTP.
Officials told The Express Tribune that the government had conveyed to Kabul that the crossings would not reopen for trade and commercial activity unless concrete steps were taken to eliminate anti-Pakistan elements operating from Afghan soil.
The border closure, which stretched beyond a month, left thousands of trucks and containers stranded on both sides, crippling bilateral trade and the regional transit route.The crossing points remained open only for one-way humanitarian movement, primarily to facilitate the return of Afghan refugees and stranded individuals.
Tensions along the Pak-Afghan border escalated on October 12, when clashes erupted after the Afghan Taliban regime opened unprovoked fire at multiple locations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Balochistan, prompting a swift and forceful response from the Pakistan Army, which destroyed several Afghan posts and killed dozens of Afghan soldiers and militants.
Earlier this month, Denmark warned the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) of the “serious threat” posed by proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Central and South Asia, saying the group receives “logistical and substantial support from the de facto authorities”.
Speaking as chair of the Security Council ISIL (Daesh) and Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee, Denmark’s Deputy Permanent Representative Sandra Jensen Landi highlighted the presence of approximately 6,000 TTP fighters in Afghanistan, responsible for high-profile attacks on Pakistan from Afghan soil.
Landi also noted evolving threats from ISIL, Al-Qaeda, and their affiliates. ISIL-Khorasan (ISIL-K) in Central and South Asia remains a serious concern, with at least 2,000 fighters targeting Afghan authorities, Shia communities, and foreign nationals. Meanwhile, Daesh affiliates in Africa, including ISWAP, have expanded activities and propaganda.
Pakistan’s Deputy Permanent Representative Usman Jadoon echoed concerns over terrorism emanating from Afghanistan. He stressed Pakistan’s sacrifices in combating terrorism, noting over 80,000 casualties and economic losses.
Jadoon highlighted that groups including ISIL-K, TTP and its affiliates, BLA, and Majeed Brigade continue to operate under Afghan patronage.
He called for the 1267 sanctions regime to reflect ground realities, urging objective, transparent, and impartial processes for listing and delisting individuals and entities.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry refuted allegations by the Afghan Taliban on Tuesday that Pakistan had conducted overnight strikes in Afghanistan, state media reported.
The statement by the head of the military’s media wing came hours after the Afghan Taliban spokesperson accused Pakistan of attacks in Khost, Kunar and Paktika provinces.
According to state broadcaster Pakistan TV, the military spokesperson refuted the claims of conducting strikes inside Afghanistan. “Pakistan Army has not attacked civilians inside Afghanistan,” it quoted him as saying.
“Whenever Pakistan attacks someone, it announces it,” he said, according to local media.
“In our view, there are no good and bad Taliban,” he said, adding that there was “no distinction” between terrorists.
“The Taliban government should make decisions as a state, not as non-state actors,” said Gen Chaudhry. He also wondered how long the current set-up in Afghanistan would remain an interim one.
Pakistan’s bilateral relations with Afghanistan have come under strain in recent times as the banned terrorist Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group remains the main point of contention between the two countries.
Pakistan has demanded that the rulers in Kabul take action to stop cross-border terrorism, but the Afghan Taliban deny Islamabad’s allegations of terrorists being allowed to use Afghan soil to carry out attacks in Pakistan.
During a process of dialogue, which followed border clashes between the two countries in October, the two sides had met in an effort to work on mechanisms for lasting peace and stability between the two countries.
On October 25, the second round of talks between the two sides began in Istanbul. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar then announced that the talks “failed to bring about any workable solution”.
However, mediators Turkiye and Qatar had intervened and managed to salvage the dialogue process with an October 31 joint statement released by Ankara stating that “further modalities of the implementation will be discussed and decided” during a principal-level meeting in Istanbul in November.
On November 7, however, after the third round of talks, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that talks addressing cross-border terrorism were “over” and “entered an indefinite phase” as negotiators failed to bridge big differences between the two sides.
Following the failure of the talks, the Afghan Taliban suspended trade ties with Islamabad. Pakistan had already closed its border for trade soon after the October clashes.
Subsequently, Turkiye announced that its top officials would visit Pakistan to discuss tensions between Islamabad and Kabul. Pakistan welcomed Turkiye’s and Doha’s “sincere efforts” on Nov 14, but the delegation’s arrival is still awaited, amid reports of complexities in the process.
Last week, the Foreign Office said that the resumption of trade with Afghanistan depended on the Taliban regime ending cross-border terrorism, and also linked the fate of key regional energy projects to Kabul halting its support for terrorist groups.
The military spokesperson also addressed the court martial proceedings against former intelligence chief Gen (r) Faiz Hameed. “The trial is a legal matter; there should be no speculation about it. There will be an immediate announcement when the matter reaches its final conclusion.”
Gen Hameed has been in custody since August 2024 and the military announced the initiation of court martial proceedings on Aug 12, 2024, on the charges of violating the Army Act and misconduct filed by the owner of a private housing society.
The army said in December 2024 that he was indicted by a military court on three counts — engaging in political activities, violating anti-espionage laws, and abusing his authority.
The case against Gen Hameed was made following a Supreme Court ruling in November 2023, which directed petitioner Moeez Ahmed Khan, owner of Islamabad’s Top City housing society, to pursue grievances through appropriate channels, including the Ministry of Defence.
Khan had alleged that a May 12, 2017, raid on his property by Pakistan Rangers and Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) officials resulted in the seizure of valuables, including gold, diamonds, and cash, under the pretext of a counter-terrorism operation. This is one of the most high-profile court martial cases in Pakistan Army’s history, as Gen Hameed is the second three-star general and the first former ISI chief to face such proceedings.
Under military laws, an indictment follows a court of inquiry and a summary of evidence, which form the basis for framing charges. Following his indictment, Gen Hameed will be allowed to hire legal representation.