Web Desk; Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq Khan, is scheduled to visit Kabul early next week carrying a strong message from Islamabad over Afghanistan’s continued support and safe havens for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), The News reported on Sunday.
Diplomatic sources said Sadiq will once again press the Taliban administration to end its facilitation of the TTP, a group responsible for ongoing bloodshed in Pakistan. Despite repeated assurances from Kabul, the group continues to operate from Afghan soil, acquiring funding, training, and weapons with alleged Indian support. Pakistan has already shared substantial evidence with Afghan authorities in this regard.
The upcoming visit follows a surge in violence between September 10 and 13, when 19 Pakistani soldiers were martyred in separate operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), at least 45 terrorists belonging to the Indian-backed faction “Fitna al-Khawarij” were killed during those clashes.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, visiting Bannu on Saturday, warned Kabul to make a clear choice: stand with Pakistan or with the terrorists. He vowed there would be “zero tolerance for ambiguity” and declared that anyone aiding foreign elements would be treated as their accomplice. The prime minister also announced the expulsion of illegal Afghan nationals involved in militant activities.
The tense exchanges come as the two countries share a 2,500-kilometre porous border that is vital for trade and cross-border communities but also exploited by militants. Islamabad’s concerns have been echoed in a recent United Nations Security Council report, which confirmed a nexus between the Taliban and the TTP, including logistical and financial cooperation.
