KARACHI: Pakistan’s relations with Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers remain strained, with Islamabad insisting that lasting peace depends on the group severing ties with militants targeting Pakistan, according to the Annual Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community.
According to the report, presented to the US Senate on Wednesday, tensions between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban have escalated into intermittent cross-border clashes, as Islamabad grows increasingly frustrated with the presence of anti-Pakistan militant groups operating from Afghan territory amid a rise in domestic attacks.
The assessment noted that on February 26, Taliban forces launched strikes on Pakistani military positions along the border, describing the move as retaliation for earlier Pakistani airstrikes. Pakistan responded within hours by targeting Afghan border provinces and Kabul, marking the first time it has struck urban centres inside Afghanistan.
The fighting has continued since it erupted, highlighting the fragility of ties between the two sides.
Pakistan’s army chief has warned that sustainable peace will require the Afghan Taliban to break links with militants targeting Pakistan. The Taliban, while calling for dialogue, has denied harbouring such groups. Pakistan and Afghanistan have now agreed to a temporary pause in hostilities during the Eidul Fitr holidays this week. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday that the pause -- set to run from midnight on Thursday until midnight on Tuesday --– had been requested by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye.
