ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar alleged on Sunday that the Afghan government was aware of the whereabouts of the Pakistani Taliban or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, warning that Pakistan would not “sit silently” as militants attack its territory from Afghan soil. 

In an unprecedented move, Kakar lashed out at the Afghan government on Nov. 8, accusing Kabul of not doing enough to clamp down on militants he said were operating from Afghan soil and launching attacks against Pakistan. 

Officials in Islamabad have blamed a recent surge in militant violence in Pakistan on the proscribed TTP, whose leaders are said to be based in Afghanistan. The Taliban government in Afghanistan has rejected Pakistan’s accusations and urged Islamabad to handle its security challenges internally. 

The TTP has launched some of the deadliest attacks against Pakistan since over a decade-and-a-half, killing thousands of Pakistanis. The militant group seeks to enforce its own brand of strict, Islamic law and has stepped up attacks in Pakistan once again after a fragile truce between the state and TTP militants broke down in November 2022. 

“We are communicating with them [Afghan government] through various channels and they know very well where the TTP [militants] are present,” Kakar said in an exclusive interview with Geo News. 

Kakar pointed out that Pakistan held talks with TTP militants in 2022 which were brokered by the Afghan government. 

“So, where were they [TTP militants] present? They weren’t there in Central Asia, talks with them were being held somewhere on Afghan soil,” he added. 

In response to a question, Kakar said it was up to the Afghan authorities to decide whether they wanted to take action against TTP militants or hand them over to Pakistan. However, he said Pakistan cannot allow Afghan authorities to not do anything while its citizens and security personnel suffered attacks. 

“The response for that will be given,” Kakar said. “It can’t happen that we keep on suffering silently.” 

The Pakistani prime minister reiterated that if any group wanted to hold talks with the government, it would have to lay down its arms against the state “unconditionally.” 

“But if they [militants] think that they can force the state to negotiate on gunpoint, I would like to tell them, very humbly, that it would be better for them to clear up this misunderstanding,” Kakar said.