Acknowledging that a religious decree had been issued by the Afghan Taliban regarding terrorism, Ishaq Dar noted, “But there is no verifiable action which would have actually endorsed that that fatwa (edict) is being implemented.”

“Things have been going fairly hot in the recent past,” Dar remarked, pointing out that Afghanistan and Pakistan had elevated their diplomatic relations last year.

Dar pointed out that Pakistan had facilitated Afghan-origin and Afghanistan-bound trucks to and from India during the May 2025 conflict with New Delhi.

He noted the agreement to extend the CPEC project to Afghanistan, the convening of the Joint Coordination Committee meeting on border and security issues, the grant of 4,500 scholarships to Afghan students, humanitarian relief assistance following an earthquake, a liberal visa regime for Afghans, and Pakistan’s “proactive” role in international forums on Afghanistan.