Afghanistan’s acting defence minister, Mullah Yaqoob Mujahid, has said that the Taliban interim government does not view Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as a terrorist organisation, in remarks that sharply diverge from Islamabad’s official position.
In an interview with a media outlet on Sunday, Yaqoob said that terms like “terrorism” are often politically motivated and lack a consistent, universal definition. “Pakistan and other countries use the label of terrorism against their opponents,” he said, suggesting that the designation is subjective and can be manipulated for political gain.
The comments come just days after a Pakistani military spokesperson publicly warned that militant attacks from Afghan soil posed a serious threat to Pakistan’s national security. Pakistan has long maintained that the banned TTP, which has carried out a series of deadly attacks on its security forces, operates from sanctuaries inside Afghanistan. Yaqoob, however, denied any such presence.
“The Taliban government will not allow Afghan soil to be used against Pakistan,” Yaqoob stated, while urging Islamabad to resolve its dispute with the TTP through dialogue rather than force.
The Afghan Taliban’s refusal to categorise the TTP as a terrorist group stands in stark contrast to Pakistan’s official stance. Islamabad has outlawed the group, which seeks to impose a Taliban-style Islamic system in Pakistan and has declared jihad against the state. The TTP has escalated its attacks in recent months, targeting soldiers, police, and government installations.
In a pointed deviation from Pakistan’s rhetoric, which has described the TTP as Khawarij; a theological term denoting heretical rebels, Yaqoob framed the group’s demands as “legitimate,” adding further strain to already fragile ties between the two neighbours.
Yaqoob also warned that the Taliban government would respond to any future cross-border military action by Pakistan. His statement follows recent Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan territory, carried out in response to a surge in TTP-linked violence.
Despite the tensions, both sides have expressed willingness to engage diplomatically. Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif recently returned from Doha after talks with Yaqoob and other Taliban officials, announcing a ceasefire agreement and a mutual pledge to cooperate on counterterrorism.
Yaqoob said he hoped that upcoming negotiations in Türkiye would help defuse tensions and establish a framework for coordination. However, his remarks on the TTP have already cast doubt on the depth of any such consensus.
