Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has categorically stated that the government has held talks only with the Afghan Taliban not with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and ruled out any possibility of negotiating with the group he called “murderers of innocent Pakistani citizens.”
Speaking in a primetime interview on a private television channel, Khawaja Asif clarified that recent talks held in Qatar were exclusively with the Afghan Taliban. “There have been no talks with the TTP, nor do we intend to. These terrorists have innocent blood on their hands,” he asserted.
He revealed that further discussions regarding the mechanism for implementing the Pakistan-Afghanistan understanding will take place in Istanbul from October 25 to 27. According to the Defense Minister, a brief yet comprehensive four-paragraph agreement has already been reached, outlining a clear framework for enforcement.
“The environment during the talks was positive,” said Asif, praising the efforts of Turkish and Qatari officials for ensuring transparency and credibility throughout the negotiation process. He emphasized that if the agreement is violated, Pakistan will promptly inform the friendly nations involved.
Addressing the issue of cross-border terrorism, Asif stressed that the TTP leadership is currently based in Afghanistan. “We have concrete evidence that these terrorists operate from Afghan soil and hide within civilian populations. They are receiving orders from across the border,” he said.
He directly criticized former Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying, “Imran Khan speaks of talks with the TTP, but for this government, there is no justification to engage with murderers.”
On the issue of the recent ceasefire along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Asif issued a strong and unambiguous message to the Afghan Taliban. Following intense retaliatory strikes by Pakistan’s armed forces in response to Afghan incursions, the ceasefire was initiated at the request of the Taliban.
Khawaja Asif emphasized, “It was made explicitly clear no cross-border violations will be tolerated, and no sanctuary will be provided to the TTP on Afghan soil.” He noted that while Afghan officials deny harboring the TTP, the real issue as highlighted by Turkey and Qatar is the continued availability of Afghan territory and support for TTP’s operations inside Pakistan.
“There is no timeline for this ceasefire. No specific date was agreed upon to evaluate its success or extension. As long as the agreement is respected and no violations occur, the ceasefire will hold,” the minister explained. The message from Pakistan is unequivocal: peace is possible only if Afghan soil is not used against Pakistan, and there will be zero tolerance for terrorism from any group, under any name.
