EU backs Pakistan’s call for Kabul to rein in terror outfits
• Dar meets EU chief envoy in Brussels, both urge Taliban to root out terrorism from Afghan soil • Joint statement asks Afghanistan rulers to ensure protection of human rights, abide by Doha accord
ISLAMABAD: As ties between Islamabad and Kabul remain frosty due to an increase in terrorism in the country, Pakistan and the European Union (EU) on Sunday urged Afghanistan to rein in terrorist groups operating from its soil and ensure the protection of human rights, especially those of women and girls.
The development came after the 7th Strategic Dialogue between Pakistan and the EU was convened in Brussels. The meeting was co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and the EU’s chief diplomat Kaja Kallas.
According to a joint statement shared by the Foreign Office (FO), FM Dar and EU’s Kallas discussed relations between Islamabad and Kabul amid cross-border tensions last month, with both top diplomats reaffirming their commitment to regional peace, stability, prosperity, and resolving issues with neighbours through dialogue.
“The two sides called on Afghanistan’s de facto authorities to play a constructive role in achieving the shared objective of rooting out terrorism from Afghan soil,” the statement read.
It added that they also expressed concern over Kabul’s deteriorating socioeconomic conditions and were in favour of a “peaceful, stable and self-reliant Afghanistan”.
They also hoped that Afghanistan would advocate for a “credible political process aligned with the UN-led ‘Doha process’, and in line with the commitments made by the Taliban de-facto authorities to the international community”, according to the statement.
It added that the EU appreciated Pakistan’s hosting millions of Afghan nationals for over four decades, but emphasised that any repatriation must be “safe, dignified and in line with international standards”.
“Both sides called upon the Afghan authorities to ensure protection of human rights, especially for women, girls and vulnerable communities,” the statement read.
Earlier this month, Denmark also pointed to the “serious threat” posed by the banned TTP in Central and South Asia and said that the terror outfit had been receiving “logistical and substantial support from the de facto authorities”.
In the capacity of the chair of the Security Council ISIL (Daesh) and Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee, Denmark raised these concerns while briefing a UNSC meeting held in New York.
The presence of TTP militants in Afghanistan has long been a point of contention between Islamabad and the Taliban administration. Since the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul in 2021, Pakistan has accused the group of sheltering thousands of TTP fighters, who have escalated attacks on Pakistani security forces, particularly in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces.
Spike in terrorism
Since 2022, Pakistan has seen a spate of attacks by the banned group, and security forces routinely engage in counter-terrorism operations along the north-western border to eliminate the threat.
The spike in incidents followed the TTP ending a ceasefire with the government in November 2022 and vowing to attack security forces, police, and personnel of law enforcement agencies. Pakistan’s bilateral relations with Afghanistan have also come under strain in recent times as the TTP remains the main point of contention between the two countries. Pakistan has demanded that the rulers in Kabul take action to stop cross-border terrorism.
But the Afghan Taliban deny Islamabad’s allegation of terrorists being allowed to use Afghan soil to carry out attacks in Pakistan. During a dialogue, which followed border clashes between the two countries in October, the two sides met in an effort to work on mechanisms for lasting peace and stability between the two countries.
On Oct 25, the second round of talks between the two sides began in the Turkish capital. But Information Minister Attaullah Tarar then announced that the talks “failed to bring about any workable solution”.
However, mediators from Turkiye and Qatar intervened and managed to salvage the process with an Oct 31 joint statement released by Turkiye, stating that “further modalities of the implementation will be discussed and decided” during a principal-level meeting in Istanbul on Nov 6.
But on Nov 7, after the third round of talks, Defence Minister Khawaja said that talks addressing cross-border terrorism were “over” and “entered an indefinite phase” as negotiators failed to bridge deep differences between the two sides.
Following the failure of the talks, the Afghan Taliban suspended trade ties with Islamabad. Pakistan had already closed its border for trade soon after the October clashes.
Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2025