ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday denied it refused an Afghan proposal to deport militants targeting its civilians and security forces during the Istanbul talks, calling the claim a deliberate distortion after an Afghan media outlet attributed the statement to a senior official in Kabul.
The two countries engaged in deadly border clashes last month that killed dozens of people on both sides before reaching a tenuous cease-fire amid peace talks mediated by Qatar and Türkiye. Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan of sheltering militants who launch cross-border attacks while urging the authorities in Kabul not to let their land be used by armed factions. Afghanistan has traditionally denied Islamabad’s allegation of any militant presence, describing Pakistan’s security challenges as its internal matter.
Pakistani officials said the Istanbul talks had a single-point agenda to ensure decisive and verifiable action against militants on Afghan soil. However, Ariana News quoted the Taliban administration's spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, in a report that Pakistan did not accept its proposal “to expel individuals whom Islamabad considers a threat” while adding that it was trying to “create conditions for the United States to retake the Bagram Air Base.”
“Pakistan rejects deliberate twisting of facts attributed to Afghan spokesperson regarding Istanbul talks,” the Ministry of Information said in a social media post in which it shared the image of the Afghan media outlet’s claim.
“Pakistan had demanded that terrorists in Afghanistan posing a threat to Pakistan be controlled or arrested," it continued.
"When the Afghan side said that they were Pakistani nationals, Pakistan immediately proposed that they be handed over through designated border posts, consistent with Pakistan’s long-standing position. Any claim to the contrary is false and misleading.”
The Afghan spokesperson’s claim comes a day after the foreign office in Islamabad said Kabul’s negotiating team had acknowledged the presence of anti-Pakistan militants on its soil.
Its spokesperson, Tahir Hussain Andrabi, noted that Afghan authorities had given various justifications for not taking action against these militants.
“The presence of terrorist elements on Afghan soil reinforces Pakistan’s security concerns," he added.
The two countries have agreed to an extended cease-fire with a monitoring and verification mechanism developed with the help of the mediating countries.
The next round of talks between them is scheduled to be held in Istanbul on Nov. 6.
