Pakistan has responded positively but, once again, conditionally to a proposal by the Afghan Taliban’s interim interior minister for a bilateral mechanism to resolve contentious issues, making clear that Islamabad remains ready for state-level dialogue, but meaningful engagement will depend on concrete and verifiable action rather than verbal assurances.
Pakistan has stressed that dialogue can only produce results if the Afghan Taliban administration fulfils its international obligations, including commitments under the Doha framework, and provides practical guarantees that Afghan territory will not be used for terrorism against Pakistan.
Islamabad has also called on the Taliban authorities to take effective action against all terrorist networks and hostile proxies operating from Afghan soil, including Fitna al-Khwarij, also known as the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, and the Balochistan Liberation Army.
Pakistan’s position is that institutional cooperation with Kabul can only be considered meaningful if it leads to tangible results, particularly the complete cessation of cross-border terrorism and effective management of the shared border.
The conditional response reflects Islamabad’s broader position that diplomatic engagement cannot substitute for action. Pakistan has repeatedly maintained that commitments made by the Afghan Taliban must translate into measures that can be seen and verified on the ground.
For Pakistan, the core issue is therefore straightforward: dialogue remains possible, but it cannot become an endless cycle of assurances followed by continued terrorist activity from Afghan territory.
Any bilateral mechanism will ultimately be judged by its results, particularly whether terrorist networks targeting Pakistan are dismantled, their movement and operations are restricted, and the border is effectively secured.
