Pakistan is preparing to send a stern message to the Taliban government in Kabul following the recent killing of nearly 20 Pakistani soldiers in cross-border attacks carried out by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s border regions.
Diplomatic sources told a leading Pakistani TV channel that Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq, is expected to visit Kabul in the coming days to formally convey Islamabad’s serious concerns over the matter.
During the visit, Sadiq is likely to warn Afghan authorities over what Pakistan perceives as growing Taliban support for the TTP. Officials have said this issue has become a major source of tension in recent weeks.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif delivered a blunt message, urging the Taliban to “choose between Islamabad and the TTP.” He emphasized that Pakistan would not tolerate any continued support for the group.
Sharif also warned that Islamabad may consider severing diplomatic ties with Kabul if the situation persists. He alleged that Afghan citizens were involved in several recent terror attacks inside Pakistan and announced that undocumented Afghan migrants would soon be expelled.
According to media reports, the Taliban had previously pledged not to support the TTP but now appear to have reneged on those assurances, deepening Islamabad’s frustration.
The surge in TTP-linked violence has placed unprecedented strain on relations between the two neighbours. Pakistan is pressing the Taliban government to take decisive action against militant sanctuaries operating near the border or hand them over to the country itself.
Observers have cautioned that unless immediate and tangible steps are taken, relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan may reach their lowest point since the Taliban regained power in Kabul in 2021.
