THE de facto Taliban Government has failed to prevent Afghanistan from sliding into anarchy and poverty. Its collusion with the transnational terrorist organizations and tacit approval to them to continue their nefarious activities have severely undermined the security of the neighboring states, including Pakistan. The neighbors of Afghanistan have adopted a strict border monitoring policy to prevent terrorist infiltration, which has severely affected Afghanistan’s trade and caused a shortage of medicines and other essential daily-use items. Ironically, the Afghan Taliban leadership is in denial mode.
The Taliban regime in Afghanistan, which is yet to be recognised by any country other than Russia, seems disinterested in improving governance and relations with the neighboring states. Its continuous patronage of transnational militant groups operating from its soil is alarming for the international community. The sixteenth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, submitted to the UN Security Council, published on December 8, 2025, exposed the Talibans’s patronage of over 20 transnational terrorist syndicates having sanctuaries in Afghanistan. It clearly stated that terrorist groups are using Afghan territory for cross-border violence, causing regional insecurity.
The alarming factor is transnational terrorist syndicates, particularly Al Qaeda’s increasing activities in Afghanistan. The report pointed out that “a wide range of member states consistently report that ISIL-K, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Al Qaeda, the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, also known as the Turkistan Islamic Party (ETIM/TIP), Jamaat Ansarullah, Ittihadul Mujahideen Pakistan, and others are present in Afghanistan. Some groups have used or are continuing to use Afghanistan to plan and prepare external attacks.”
Since the withdrawal of the United States troops from Afghanistan in August 2021, Islamabad has been asking Kabul to abide by its commitments with the international community, i.e., the Doha Agreement, which bars the use of Afghan soil for terrorist activities and the eradication of the terrorist groups’ sanctuaries located in the country. Instead of quashing the safe hideouts of the terrorists, the Taliban government is providing them with financial, material and fighters’ assistance.
The Fitna al Khawarij, the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Fitna al Hindustan, the Baloch terrorist groups’ nefarious activities in Pakistan, have multiplied after the return of the Taliban in Kabul. It was reported that Noor Wali Mehsud, the TTP chief, receives payment of three million Afghanis (roughly $43,000) from the Taliban in monthly funding, in addition to sophisticated arms, ammunition and equipment, abandoned by America. The Afghan nationals are also involved in terrorism in Pakistan. In the TTP formations coming into Pakistan, 70 per cent are Afghans. The Pakistani law enforcement agencies, in counterterrorism operations, killed more than 200 Afghan nationals, including the son of the deputy governor of Badghis Province, Mulla Ghulam Muhammad.
Last week, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) testified to Islamabad’s claim that TTP and a few other terrorist groups are operating from Afghanistan against Pakistan and asked the de facto Taliban government to prevent its territory from being used for terrorism. The UNSC monitoring body report identified that Al Qaeda has ‘blended itself with TTP.’ It is providing TTP financial and weaponry support and suicidal training to its recruits. It also manifested the alliance between TTP and the Afghan Taliban. It reported that “Within the Taliban, there are varying degrees of sympathy for and allegiance with TTP.”
The Taliban government’s refusal to act against these terrorist groups has compelled Islamabad to take drastic measures, such as the closure of the border with Afghanistan and conducting precision strikes against the TTP safe havens in Afghanistan. On October 18, 2025, the Pakistan military launched precision strikes and destroyed the camps of the outlawed Gul Bahadur group inside Afghanistan near the shared border.
Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq, participated in a meeting of Special Representatives for Afghanistan convened by Iran at Tehran on December 14, 2025. Special representatives for Afghan affairs from Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, China and Russia attended the meeting, but the Taliban government did not send a representative. All the envoys agreed that the continued threat of terrorism emanating from Afghan soil is a big challenge for the region. They asked the de facto Taliban government to act responsibly and clean Afghanistan of all terrorist groups.
To conclude, despite the closure of the border and the irrational behaviour of the de facto Taliban government and its increasing cooperation with India to assist Fitna al Khawarij and Fitna al Hindustan, Islamabad is observing maximum restraint. It has expressed its desire to resolve the bilateral issues through dialogue. Unfortunately, the de facto Taliban government seems unprepared for dialogue, which is detrimental to the Afghan citizens and regional peace.
—The writer is Prof at the School of Politics and IR, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.
