Since Pakistan entered into talks with Afghanistan, the cross-border Indian-sponsored terrorism has not stopped, as Afghan-hosted terrorists continue attacking Pakistan’s security forces and attempting to infiltrate into Pakistan from Afghanistan. The talks are being facilitated by friendly countries such as Qatar and Türkiye.
It may be remembered that on October 24–25, 2025, movements of two large groups of Khwarij (the official term used for TTP terrorists) were observed in Ghaki, Kurram District, and Spinwam, North Waziristan District, as they tried to infiltrate through the Pakistan–Afghanistan border. Pakistani troops neutralized the infiltrators, sending 15 Khwarij, including four suicide bombers, to hell. According to an official statement, a large quantity of weapons, ammunition, and explosives was also recovered from the killed infiltrators. As a result of the engagement between troops and terrorists, five brave sons of the soil fought gallantly, paid the ultimate sacrifice, and embraced Shahadat.
It is significant to point out that these infiltration attempts by Fitna al-Khwarij (TTP) are being carried out at a time when delegations from Pakistan and Afghanistan are engaged in talks in Türkiye, casting doubts on the intentions of the Interim Afghan Government with regard to addressing terrorism emanating from its soil.
Pakistan has consistently urged the Interim Afghan Government to ensure effective border management on their side and fulfill its obligations under the Doha Agreement by denying the use of Afghan territory by Khwarij against Pakistan.
When contacted for a comment on the situation at the Pak–Afghan border, an official who is one of the responsible persons within the top security hierarchy shared important information on condition of anonymity, as he is not authorized to speak with the media about security operations. He believes that incidents of cross-border terrorism during ongoing talks between the Afghan Taliban and Pakistan indicate that the Afghan Taliban do not wish to act against Fitna al-Khwarij (TTP). He considers that the Afghan Taliban themselves non-state actors stand alongside other non-state actors such as Fitna al-Khwarij because they benefit from each other. According to him, they collaborate for mutual interests: ruling the Afghan people without accountability, while earning billions of USD through smuggling, drugs, arms trafficking, and regional terrorism as hired guns.
When asked for his opinion, senior journalist Aijaz Ahmed, who covers the foreign affairs and Defence, said that Pakistan joined the talks with clarity and presented concrete evidence, ensuring the discussions remained focused on the core issue. However, the Afghan Taliban’s refusal to act on Pakistan’s justified demands endorsed by Türkiye, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE shows their intent to use terrorism as diplomatic leverage instead of respecting international mediators.
Another senior journalist, Agha Iqrar Haroon, who covered the Afghan war in the early 1990s, said that he has never had any doubt that the Afghan Taliban serve the Indian agenda and have no respect or affection for Pakistan. Haroon, who has long been critical of the Afghan Taliban even when Pakistan’s state institutions were not ready to listen, stated that Pakistan is wasting time in talks with the Taliban and should deal with them as it deals with India. He claimed that there is a strong pro-Afghan lobby within Pakistan’s system that refuses to acknowledge the truth that the Afghan Taliban are as hostile toward Pakistan as India is. Haroon added that a deadlock in the talks will come at a cost for both Pakistan and Afghanistan but will help clarify for the public that the Afghan Taliban do not desire peace with Pakistan — a reality, he said, that the state has long ignored or refused to believe.
“Khwarij continue infiltration attempts that undermine Afghan–Pakistan Peace Dialogue and I have reason to believe that Afghan Taliban are again using terrorism as Diplomatic Leverage against Pakistan. Are they Peace Talks or tactical trap?”, asked Haroon
Foreign affairs expert Dr. Shazia Anwer Cheema said that Pakistan entered the ongoing peace talks with a single non-negotiable demand the dismantling of all TTP sanctuaries and support structures inside Afghanistan. However, recent border infiltration attempts confirm that the Afghan Taliban have no intention of stopping TTP attacks on Pakistan, and Afghan soil remains an active launchpad for terrorism against Pakistan.
She said the situation provides strong reasons to believe that hostile intelligence networks particularly India’s RAW are exploiting Afghan territory to destabilize Pakistan. Dr. Cheema added that the Taliban’s demand to include TTP in the peace process exposes their unwillingness to cleanse their land of terrorists and shows that they intend to keep Afghanistan a “terror marketplace.”
She emphasized that the situation should serve as an eye-opener for friendly countries such as China, Qatar, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE all of whom encouraged Pakistan to hold talks with the Taliban. “Now it is clear that Pakistan’s goodwill and restraint have been taken as weakness, and the Afghan Taliban want to push Pakistan into accepting their terms and conditions,” she said.
