Key points
- Eleven Pakistani soldiers martyred in suicide attack on Bajaur security post.
- Foreign Office summons Afghan deputy head of mission.
- Pakistan says Afghan soil was used to plan attack.
- Pakistan cites repeated assurances from Kabul, but no concrete action taken so far.
- Afghan Taliban urged to take immediate, verifiable counterterror measures.
- Border crossings remain closed since October 10, 2025.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has summoned the Afghan deputy head of mission and delivered a strong demarche to the Afghan Taliban over the use of Afghan soil for terrorism following a deadly attack in Bajaur that left 11 Pakistani soldiers martyred.
According to a spokesperson of the Foreign Office, the demarche was conveyed a day after a vehicle-borne suicide bombing, followed by a coordinated fire raid, targeted a Pakistan military and law enforcement post in Bajaur on February.
Pakistan condemned the attack in the strongest possible terms, holding Fitna al Khwarij — also known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TT P) — responsible for the assault. The Foreign Office said the incident was part of a sustained campaign of cross-border terrorism threatening Pakistan’s security and stability.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed serious concerns that the entire leadership of Fitna al Khwarij is based in Afghanistan and continues to operate with impunity from Afghan territory. Islamabad underlined that despite repeated assurances from the Afghan Taliban authorities that Afghan soil would not be allowed to be used against Pakistan, no visible or concrete action has been taken so far.
“The Afghan Taliban regime has been urged to take immediate, concrete and verifiable measures against all terrorist groups operating from its territory, including action against their leadership,” the spokesperson said.
Pakistan also conveyed in categorical terms that it reserves the right to respond to such threats. The Afghan side was informed that Pakistan would take all necessary steps to eliminate Khwarij elements of the TTP and their affiliates, wherever they may be located, to ensure the safety of its soldiers, civilians and territorial integrity.
The Foreign Office reiterated that Pakistan seeks peaceful and cooperative relations with Afghanistan but stressed that counterterrorism commitments must be honoured in both letter and spirit.
“The continued presence and activities of terrorist outfits on Afghan soil pose a grave threat to Pakistan’s national security and undermine regional peace,” the statement added.
Relation under strain
The Bajaur assault is the latest in a string of deadly attacks inside Pakistan that authorities attribute to insurgents based in Afghanistan.
The security situation has aggravated bilateral relations, which were already under strain due to prolonged closures of major border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan that have disrupted trade and movement.
Key trade and transit points, including Torkham, Chaman, Kharlachi and Ghulam Khan, have remained closed to regular trade and transit since October 10, 2025, following deadly clashes along the frontier and Pakistan’s insistence that Kabul rein in terrorists operating from Afghan soil.
Efforts to ease tensions have included ceasefire agreements mediated by Qatar and Turkey, and occasional humanitarian exemptions such as allowing transit of relief consignments, but full resumption of border trade remains stalled.
Analysts say the compounding effects of repeated terrorist attacks and an extended shutdown of commercial links have hardened positions in Islamabad and Kabul, making diplomatic rapprochement more difficult.
Despite periodic gestures — including the recent release of detained Pakistani soldiers by Afghan authorities in a Saudi-mediated initiative — fundamental disagreements over terrorism and border security continue to challenge bilateral engagement between the two neighbours.
