By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: A spokesman for Afghanistan’s Taliban government accused Pakistan on Tuesday of launching overnight airstrikes across the border, escalating tensions between the two neighbours amid a surge in cross-border terrorism allegations and a recent breakdown in diplomatic talks.
Zabiullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, said in a post on the social media platform X that Pakistani forces had “bombed” Khost Province and carried out airstrikes in Kunar and Paktika Provinces. The claims came on the same day that a suicide attack targeted the headquarters of the Federal Constabulary in Peshawar, killing three personnel and injuring 12 others.
Pakistan has issued no official response to the accusations of strikes. The two countries’ relations have deteriorated sharply in recent months, with Islamabad repeatedly demanding that the Taliban in Kabul crack down on the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, a militant group that Pakistan says operates from Afghan soil to launch attacks across the border. The Afghan Taliban have denied the allegations, insisting they do not allow their territory to be used for terrorism against any country.
The reported strikes followed a period of fraught diplomacy. Border clashes in October prompted a series of talks aimed at establishing mechanisms for peace and stability. The second round, held in Ankara, Turkey, on Oct. 25, ended without progress; Pakistan’s information minister, Attaullah Tarar, announced that the discussions “failed to bring about any workable solution.”
Mediators from Turkey and Qatar stepped in, issuing a joint statement on Oct. 31 that pledged further talks on implementation details during a principal-level meeting in Istanbul in November. But on Nov. 7, after the third round, Pakistan’s defence minister, Khawaja Asif, declared the negotiations addressing cross-border terrorism “over” and said they had “entered an indefinite phase” because of unbridgeable differences.
In retaliation for the failed talks, the Afghan Taliban suspended trade ties with Pakistan, which had already closed its border crossings following the October clashes. Turkey later announced plans for a delegation of top officials to visit Pakistan to address the impasse, a move Islamabad welcomed on Nov. 14 as reflecting Ankara and Doha’s “sincere efforts.” The visit has yet to occur, however, amid reports of logistical and diplomatic complications.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office last week tied the resumption of trade to the Taliban ending cross-border terrorism and also connected the future of major regional energy projects to Kabul halting support for militant groups.
Meanwhile, a rare high-level meeting took place in Afghanistan, hours after the Peshawar suicide attack. Shafqatullah Khan, Pakistan’s consul general in Jalalabad, met with Mullah Muhammad Naeem Akhund, the governor of Nangarhar Province, in what was described as the first such contact in months, according to a report in the Pakistani newspaper Dawn.
Governor Akhund, a prominent Taliban figure and confidant of the group’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, has a long history in the movement. He served as deputy minister of borders and tribal affairs and deputy minister of civil aviation during the Taliban’s first rule from 1996 to 2001. During the 20-year war against the United States and NATO forces, he played a key role in the Taliban’s military commission and led operations in southern Helmand Province. He was a close associate of the late Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansoor and is considered an ally of the current defence minister, Mullah Yaqoob Mujahid.
Afghanistan’s official Bakhtar news agency reported that the meeting focused on improving ties. “The Islamic Emirate has a constructive stance towards good relations, cooperation, and safeguarding common interests with the region, neighbouring countries, and other countries of the world, and relevant efforts in this regard are ongoing,” the agency said. The governor “noted the goodwill, brotherhood, and historical kinship of the Afghan people, and explained that the foundation of positive relations can remain strong in the presence of mutual respect, understanding and systematic coordination,” according to Bakhtar.
No statement was released by the Pakistani consulate or the Foreign Office. But Dawn reported sources familiar with the meeting as saying that Akhund told the diplomat that he had already “made efforts to reduce tension between the two countries.” The consul general outlined Pakistan’s concerns over security issues, and both sides expressed interest in restoring relations. “The meeting discussed ethnicity, language, religion, culture, and other commonalities, and discussed the current situation in the region and the daily amenities of the people based on the tradition of good neighbourliness,” Bakhtar reported.
Attendees included Nangarhar’s deputy governor, Maulvi Azizullah Mustafa; the director of foreign affairs, Maulvi Jan Mohammad Inqelab; the provincial spokesman, Qari Ehsanullah Usmani; and other officials.
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