ISLAMABAD – Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Foreign Minister (FM) Ishaq Dar said Pakistan has only one demand from Afghanistan that its territory must not be used for terrorist activities against Pakistan.
Ishaq Dar warned that Afghan Taliban would eventually face the consequences if they failed to take action against militant groups.
Addressing a seminar in Islamabad on Monday, Ishaq Dar said terrorism remained the biggest challenge facing the region and the world. He said Pakistan had made immense sacrifices in the fight against terrorism, confronting the threat with courage, resilience and determination.
The DPM added that terrorism had inflicted severe damage on Pakistan’s economy and called on the international community to acknowledge the country’s sacrifices in combating the menace.
Dar said the government, under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, had adopted new approaches to eliminate terrorism, while law enforcement agencies continued operations against militants around the clock. Pakistan had sacrificed more than 90,000 lives in the war against terrorism, he said, stressing that every province must play its part in countering the threat.
He said Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir was determined to eradicate terrorism and that security forces were conducting daily operations against militants under his directions.
According to Dar, Pakistan had repeatedly urged the Afghan authorities not to allow their territory to be used for terrorist activities and had also sent delegations to Afghanistan to discuss the issue.
He recalled that Pakistan, China and Afghanistan held a trilateral meeting in Kabul in August 2025, but said the Afghan authorities had failed to honour their commitments regarding terrorism.
The presence of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups in Afghanistan posed a serious threat to regional peace, he said, adding that militants crossed the border to attack Pakistani security personnel and civilians.
“Terrorism originating from Afghan soil is unacceptable under any circumstances,” Dar said, calling for an immediate end to attacks launched from Afghanistan against Pakistan.
He alleged that Afghan territory had been used to plan the hijacking of the Jaffar Express and urged the Afghan Taliban authorities to immediately stop providing militants with weapons and all other forms of support.
Dar said terrorism had damaged Pakistan’s international image and credibility. He added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had approved the Azm-e-Istehkam vision after consultations with provincial governments and other stakeholders.
The objective, he said, was to eliminate terrorism by addressing its underlying causes. All institutions had their respective responsibilities, and the federal and provincial governments needed to work together to achieve lasting results.
The deputy prime minister reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to eliminating terrorism and said the country had consistently kept the international community informed about its counterterrorism operations.
Dar maintained that taking action against militant groups was also in Afghanistan’s own interest, warning that the Afghan government would ultimately suffer the consequences if it failed to act against terrorists.
Dar also accused India of backing terrorism in Pakistan, citing the case of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, whom Pakistan has accused of involvement in terrorist activities in the country.
