ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Friday the militant threat emanating from Afghanistan persists following a deadly attack in the country’s northwest, even as talks between Islamabad and Kabul continue under Chinese mediation.
A suicide bombing targeting a police station in the Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province late Thursday killed at least five people and injured 12, underscoring a surge in militancy since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021.
Islamabad has repeatedly accused Kabul of allowing militants, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), to operate from its soil, a charge Afghan authorities deny.
“Pakistan’s only concern is the safety and security of the people of Pakistan,” Prime Minister’s spokesperson for foreign media Mosharraf Zaidi told Arab News when asked about the future of talks after the attack. “Our resolute and professional security forces will continue to take the necessary measures to eliminate threats.”
Zaidi said Pakistan was conducting more than 200 intelligence-based operations daily, adding that the latest attack reinforced the government’s current counter-terrorism approach.
“The threat remains and incidents like what happened in Bannu only reinforce the importance of Pakistan’s current approach,” he said.
Pakistan has stepped up military operations along its western border in recent months following some of the deadliest clashes with Afghanistan in years, with both sides trading accusations over cross-border attacks.
Zaidi said Islamabad continued to engage diplomatically but framed the situation as a test for Kabul’s leadership.
“As we have stated repeatedly, the Afghan Taliban regime has a simple and clear moral choice: it can continue to choose terrorism or it can change its trajectory and instead choose the welfare of the Afghan people,” he said.
Meanwhile, in Beijing, China said talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan were “advancing steadily,” as it mediates between the two neighbors amid rising tensions.
“Both Pakistan and Afghanistan value and welcome China’s mediation efforts, and are willing to sit down and resume talks. This is a positive development,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a briefing.
China has intensified diplomatic engagement with both countries in recent weeks, hosting discussions aimed at stabilizing its western periphery as violence threatens regional security and economic interests.
