Demand to end terror from Afghan soil ‘non-negotiable’: army

• ISPR chief rejects reports regarding US drone operations
• Warns India against ‘false flag operation’ in deep waters
• Says decision to join Gaza peacekeeping force will be made by govt

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Army on Monday adopted a tougher stance toward the Taliban regime ahead of the next round of talks in Istanbul, declaring that Pakistan’s only and non-negotiable demand is an end to terrorism emanating from Afghan territory.

“The conditions that Afghan Taliban keep putting forward are meaningless, what matters is the end of terrorism,” said Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the military’s spokesman, while briefing a group of journalists at Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

“Pakistan has a one-point agenda: Afghan soil must not be used against us,” he asserted.

Gen Chaudhry’s remarks came as Islamabad prepares for the Nov 6 meeting in Turkiye, the next phase of negotiations following last month’s six-day talks in Istanbul between Pakistan and the Taliban regime.

Those talks, mediated by Turkiye and Qatar, produced a reaffirmation by both sides to ceasefire agreed in Doha and an agreement on establishing a monitoring and verification mechanism for cross-border terrorism, though implementation details remain unresolved.

Ahead of the upcoming Istanbul talks, Taliban leader Mullah Haibatullah also held consultations with his negotiators, led by Mullah Najib, to deliberate on the next phase of dialogue with Pakistan, according to sources familiar with the discussions in Kandahar.

During his briefing, the military’s spokesperson highlighted that operations were underway against terrorists belonging to Fitna-al-Khawarij — a term the state uses for the banned TTP — with 1,667 terrorists killed.

Gen Chaudhry disclosed that 206 Afghan Taliban fighters and 112 TTP terrorists were killed during the recent border tensions.

Pointing to growing participation of Afghans in TTP and subsequent blurring of lines between the two groups, he said about 60 per cent of the terrorists killed during infiltration attempts in the last three to four months were Afghan nationals.

Afghan Tailban’s support to TTP

“The TTP is not a separate entity, it is a branch of the Afghan Taliban,” Gen Chaudhry observed, explaining that the outfit had sworn allegiance to the Taliban’s emir, “and we have clear evidence that the Taliban are settling TTP fighters in densely populated areas to provide them a protective shield”.

He added that while Pakistan continues efforts to settle matters peacefully with Afghanistan, “there can be no compromise on our security and sovereignty”.

The spokesman dismissed recent Taliban statements suggesting preconditions for dialogue, including demands that Pakistan end alleged support for the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP) and anti-Taliban propaganda. “Such conditions are meaningless. The only meaningful step is verifiable action against terrorists,” he said.

US drone operations

He categorically denied reports in “Afghan and Indian media” about a supposed secret US-Pakistan understanding allowing American drone operations in Afghanistan.

“This is fake news propagated by Zabihullah Mujahid,” the Taliban spokesman, he said. “Pakistan has not given permission to the US or any other country to use its territory for attacks inside Afghanistan. These claims are baseless propaganda.”

Pakistani officials view the Istanbul process as a test of the Taliban’s credibility. A senior security source said last week that Pakistan expects “credible evidence of action including dismantling of hideouts, disruption of logistical networks, and arrests of TTP leadership.”

False flag operation

The military spokesman warned that India was planning a “false flag” operation in the maritime domain to fabricate evidence of a major Pakistani strike or act of aggression, potentially triggering a new round of tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals.

Gen Chaudhry, citing intelligence reports, indicated India could stage the incident “in deep waters,” portraying it as a Pakistani attack to justify escalation and malign Islamabad internationally.

He said Pakistan’s armed forces were on “high alert” and would deliver a “far stronger, more decisive, and severe” response than in previous incidents if provoked.

Security observers say the military’s unusually pointed warning coincides with several converging developments that Pakistan views as provocative or politically timed including India’s Trishul exercise, Bihar state elections, and regional tensions.

Last Saturday, the government released a video confession by Ijaz Mallah, a fisherman from Sindh who had been detained by Indian forces in 2024. In the video, Malah claims he was coerced by India’s external intelligence agency, RAW, to engage in espionage-related activities in Pakistan.

ISPR officials cited the testimony as partial evidence of Indian maritime sabotage plans, connecting it to what they describe as a “covert Indian terror network” disrupted earlier this year.

Gaza peace force

The military spokesman said that any decision regarding the deployment of Pakistani troops to a proposed Gaza peacekeeping force would be made by the government and parliament.

His comments came amid reports that Pakistan is weighing a potential contribution of troops to an International Stabilization Force (ISF) for Gaza.

The proposed mission could also include disarmament and security enforcement tasks, which have drawn criticism from opposition parties. They argue the government has not held a full parliamentary debate and warn that participation without clear UN oversight could risk Pakistan’s complicity in coercive actions against Palestinians.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2025

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