ISLAMABAD; Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Tuesday offered to mediate between Pakistan and Afghanistan to ease escalating tensions, days after deadly clashes along the border intensified friction between the two neighbours.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred while around 200 Taliban fighters and affiliated militants were killed during clashes on October 11–12.
The military said the fighting erupted after Afghan Taliban fighters and India-backed Fitna al-Khawarij launched an unprovoked attack on Pakistani positions along the Pak-Afghan border. The term Fitna al-Khawarij is used by the state to refer to terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Speaking to reporters in Islamabad, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said he had played a role in the past in reducing tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan and was ready to do so again. As the only Pakistani political leader to have met the Taliban’s supreme leader Shaikh Hibatullah, Fazl is known to hold considerable influence with the Afghan Taliban leadership.
“I have been in contact with Afghan leaders and they want to resolve issues through mutual understanding,” he said, urging both sides to avoid provocative statements and work towards easing tensions.
He advised that both governments should refrain from blame games, including on social media, now that a ceasefire is in place.
Commenting on Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s recent visit to India, Fazl said that instead of overreacting to his statement on Kashmir, Pakistan should reflect on its own evolving policies regarding the Kashmir issue.
He also noted that Afghanistan’s military and intelligence capabilities were still developing, whereas Pakistan had a world-class army. He stressed the need for Islamabad to carefully assess whether opening a western front was a wise strategic decision at this time.
Tensions between the two countries have persisted since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, with Pakistan maintaining that TTP and other groups operate from Afghan territory — a claim consistently denied by Kabul.
