OVER the past two years, Pakistan has witnessed a disturbing escalation in terrorist attacks targeting military installations, security convoys, police posts and civilian infrastructure. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), proscribed as a terrorist organization and named as Fitna al-Khawarij (FAK), has intensified its terrorist attacks in areas bordering Afghanistan. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Dera Ismail Khan and other sensitive border areas, has repeatedly come under terrorist attacks. Pakistani security forces have suffered casualties, while scores of terrorists have been killed in counterterrorism operations.
The persistence of these attacks raises a fundamental question: how can a militant organization operating largely from outside Pakistan sustain such a prolonged campaign? The answer increasingly points to the FAK’s presence and operational space inside Afghanistan. United Nations assessments have repeatedly identified the TTP as one of the major terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory and have documented its continuing momentum against Pakistan. Pakistan’s principal concern is, therefore, not simply the existence of the TTP in Afghanistan but the nature of its relationship with the Afghan Taliban authorities. Islamabad maintains that Afghan territory is being used as a sanctuary, training ground and launching pad for attacks against Pakistan. Pakistani officials have repeatedly urged Kabul to dismantle militant infrastructure, deny sanctuary to TTP commanders and prevent cross-border attacks. Yet, despite repeated diplomatic engagements, the problem remains unresolved.
The past relationship between the Afghan Taliban and TTP is central to understanding this predicament. Both terrorists’ outfits developed close ideological and operational ties over decades and fought alongside one another against US and NATO forces and the former Afghan government. Following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, these longstanding relationships acquired a new strategic dimension. Rather than becoming a stabilizing factor for Pakistan, the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan caused constant terrorism in Pakistan. Independent assessments reinforce Islamabad’s concerns. In June 2023, Bill Roggio of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies reported that the Afghan Taliban, with assistance from Al-Qaeda, was sheltering, supporting and training the TTP. His assessment drew upon a UN Security Council monitoring report that described the relationship between the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and TTP as “strong and symbiotic.” The UN assessment further indicated that TTP fighters were operating from eastern Afghan provinces and that the group was gaining momentum in its campaign against Pakistan.
Subsequent UN reporting has continued to underscore the seriousness of the problem. The 2024 monitoring report stated that TTP camps involving Al-Qaeda and Taliban elements were being used to train Afghan fighters and TTP operatives. It also recorded more than 800 TTP attacks during the reporting period and assessed that Taliban acquiescence and support, had enabled the group to intensify its operations against Pakistan. Pakistan has repeatedly raised this issue at international forums. On September 25, 2026, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif highlighted the deteriorating security situation emanating from Afghan territory during his engagements on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly. Pakistan also continues to emphasize that terrorism originating from Afghan soil constitutes a threat not only to Pakistan but to regional and international security.
Pakistan’s security dilemma is further complicated by changing regional alignments. Afghanistan’s relations with India have expanded since 2022, culminating in Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s landmark visit to New Delhi in October 2025. The visit focused officially on strengthening political, economic and trade relations. Afghanistan’s Taliban Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, visited India for six-days for strengthening economic and diplomatic relations. His visit follows recent talks in Moscow with diplomats from neighboring countries opposed to former US President Trump’s proposal to take over the Bagram military base. Although Russia is the only country that has recognized the Taliban government, members of the administration including Muttaqiare under UN sanctions, but he was granted a temporary exemption for this trip. While India historically had good relations with Afghanistan, it does not officially recognize the Taliban and had closed its embassy in Kabul after the US withdrawal in 2021. A small Indian mission was later reopened to facilitate trade and dialogue. The present challenge requires a strategy combining military preparedness, border management and sustained diplomacy. Pakistan must strengthen surveillance and intelligence capabilities along the western frontier, disrupt militant financing and recruitment networks and improve coordination among federal and provincial counterterrorism institutions. At the diplomatic level, Islamabad should continue engaging Kabul while systematically presenting credible evidence of cross-border terrorism to the United Nations and other international forums. The international community, meanwhile, should press the Afghan authorities to fulfill their counterterrorism commitments. Afghanistan cannot become a sanctuary for organizations conducting attacks against neighboring states without consequences for regional stability. The objective should not be confrontation for its own sake but accountability, verifiable action and a security framework acceptable to all regional stakeholders.
Ultimately, Pakistan’s security cannot be separated from developments inside Afghanistan. The TTP–Afghan Taliban relationship has become one of the most consequential security challenges facing Pakistan today. Unless Kabul takes credible and sustained action against terrorists operating from Afghan territory and unless the international community supports such efforts, cross-border terrorism will continue to threaten Pakistan and destabilize an already fragile region. The choice before the Taliban authorities is therefore clear: prevent Afghan territory from being used against Pakistan or risk perpetuating a cycle of violence that will ultimately undermine Afghanistan’s own stability and international standing.
— The writer is Professor of Politics and IR at International Islamic University, Islamabad.
