{"id":132422,"date":"2026-09-03T08:17:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T03:17:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/?p=132422"},"modified":"2026-09-03T08:17:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T03:17:11","slug":"no-thaw-until-kabul-acts-against-terrorists-fo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/132422\/","title":{"rendered":"No thaw until Kabul acts against terrorists: FO"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ISLAMABAD(National Times)- Despite recent diplomatic developments suggesting a renewed push to ease\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1990066\">tensions<\/a>\u00a0between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Foreign Office on Wednesday remained firm that meaningful progress in relations would depend on the Taliban taking concrete and verifiable action against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At his final weekly media briefing before he is succeeded by Sajjad Haider Khan, FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Islamabad welcomed China\u2019s continuing engagement, but that external facilitation could not substitute for action by Kabul against terrorist infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPakistan appreciates China\u2019s constructive and sustained engagement on the issues of Afghanistan,\u201d he said, adding that Islamabad had \u201calways remained positively engaged for constructive dialogue on the subject of Afghanistan\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Progress, however, would depend on \u201cthe Afghan Taliban regime taking concrete and verifiable action against TTP, BLA, and other terrorist organisations operating from their soil into Pakistan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His remarks came amid renewed diplomatic activity, including Chinese Special Envoy Yue Xiaoyong\u2019s visit to Islamabad to revive the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/2003361\">Urumqi process<\/a>&nbsp;aimed at preventing further escalation, and an invitation to Afghan ambassador Sardar Shakeb to speak at the National Defence University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Islamabad, however, sees little proof that the Taliban have moved beyond containing TTP activities. The latest UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team report noted that the Taliban had relocated around 2,000 TTP fighters and their families away from areas bordering Pakistan, and that Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada had warned the group against attacks on Pakistan \u2014 but also that Taliban support for the TTP continued as the group escalated attacks and expanded its organisational structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Islamabad, relocating terrorists does not amount to dismantling the command, training and logistical networks that remain at the centre of its concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mr Andrabi also downplayed readings of the Afghan envoy\u2019s NDU speech as a sign of improving ties. \u201cEnvoys visit academic institutions. This is not unusual,\u201d he said. \u201cSuch interaction is no yardstick for measuring bilateral relations between the two sides. As such, we should not read too much into this interaction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There had consequently been \u201cno change\u201d in Pakistan\u2019s position. \u201cFact remains that progress in Pak-Afghan relations hinges on verifiable, written assurances from the Afghan side that their territory will not be used for terrorism against Pakistan,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Iran-US hostilities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The FO said the resumption of hostilities between the US and Iran should not be seen as a failure of mediation, insisting Islamabad remained engaged and hopeful the parties would return to talks once the \u201clogic of escalation\u201d had run its course. Attacks by the two sides have escalated after weeks of relative military restraint, alongside a growing US economic pressure campaign against Iran. \u201cWhilst we remain concerned, and obviously these escalations are not desirable, however, we are not discouraged, and we remain engaged,\u201d Andrabi said. \u201cThis escalation should not be termed as a failure of the mediatory process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pakistan has consistently maintained that the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, brokered in June through Pakistani facilitation, remained the framework for reviving diplomacy between Washington and Tehran after its implementation collapsed within weeks. His latest remarks, however, left room for an alternative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur efforts will continue,\u201d he said. \u201cWe hope that, when the logic of escalation will exhaust, and it should eventually exhaust, the parties would return to the negotiating table.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhether the parties agree to resume dialogue, this template of peace (Islamabad MoU), or any similar framework copying this template, will be adopted. We remain positive that the parties will eventually return to the dialogue table,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That marked a subtle broadening of Pakistan\u2019s position, which until now had projected the June MoU as the template for restarting the political process rather than requiring the parties to begin afresh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the latest US measures against Iran, the spokesperson said Islamabad had taken note of the sanctions and was assessing their possible impact on bilateral trade. \u201cAs regards the potential impact of these US measures on Pakistan-Iran trade, the matter is being carefully evaluated and monitored in coordination with the Ministry of Commerce,\u201d he added \u2014 a shift in emphasis from last week\u2019s briefing, when he stressed international law and existing bilateral agreements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>PCA ruling<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The FO also urged India to return to full compliance with the Indus Waters Treaty, cautioning that New Delhi\u2019s<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/amp\/2026530\">&nbsp;rejection<\/a>&nbsp;of the Aug 31 award by the Court of Arbitration \u2014 which reaffirmed that the 1960 treaty remained in force and that India could not unilaterally place it in abeyance \u2014 did not absolve it of its obligations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mr Andrabi said India\u2019s position raised concerns beyond the immediate dispute. \u201cIndia cannot treat International Law as a matter of convenience, invoking it when useful and discarding it when inconvenient,\u201d he maintained, adding that New Delhi could not disregard \u201cbinding treaty obligations and the legal processes to which it freely subscribed, simply because their outcomes are not to its liking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Such an approach, he warned, undermined the sanctity of treaties and confidence in established dispute-settlement mechanisms. \u201cIndia\u2019s rejection of the award cannot extinguish or otherwise alter India\u2019s obligations under the Indus Water Treaty, or its obligations to fulfil the award of the Court of Arbitration,\u201d he said, cautioning that unilateralism over transboundary waters was \u201cparticularly concerning and inimical to sustainable peace and stability\u201d in South Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIndia should therefore return to full compliance with the treaty, respect the institutional and dispute settlement mechanisms of the treaty, and engage Pakistan constructively within the framework that both countries solemnly accepted,\u201d Mr Andrabi said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ISLAMABAD(National Times)- Despite recent diplomatic developments suggesting a renewed push to ease\u00a0tensions\u00a0between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Foreign Office on Wednesday remained firm that meaningful progress in relations would depend on the Taliban taking concrete and verifiable action against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory. At his final weekly media [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":132423,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-132422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>No thaw until Kabul acts against terrorists: FO - Nation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/132422\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"No thaw until Kabul acts against terrorists: FO - Nation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"ISLAMABAD(National Times)- Despite recent diplomatic developments suggesting a renewed push to ease\u00a0tensions\u00a0between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Foreign Office on Wednesday remained firm that meaningful progress in relations would depend on the Taliban taking concrete and verifiable action against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory. At his final weekly media [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/132422\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Nation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-09-03T03:17:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-03T03:17:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Untitled-design-8-1.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"670\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"370\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"humza Jahangir\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"humza Jahangir\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/132422\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/132422\/\",\"name\":\"No thaw until Kabul acts against terrorists: FO - Nation\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/132422\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/132422\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Untitled-design-8-1.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-03T03:17:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-03T03:17:11+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/#\/schema\/person\/27efa35fa76e99f3ad7e7397d7332c16\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/132422\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/132422\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/132422\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Untitled-design-8-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Untitled-design-8-1.png\",\"width\":670,\"height\":370},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/132422\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"No thaw until Kabul acts against terrorists: FO\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/\",\"name\":\"Nation\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/#\/schema\/person\/27efa35fa76e99f3ad7e7397d7332c16\",\"name\":\"humza Jahangir\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/43feedd99bd6a90080d1621b7e6604364acb673ee979d3ffe5075557c14c68b9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/43feedd99bd6a90080d1621b7e6604364acb673ee979d3ffe5075557c14c68b9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"humza Jahangir\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/author\/humza\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"No thaw until Kabul acts against terrorists: FO - Nation","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/132422\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"No thaw until Kabul acts against terrorists: FO - Nation","og_description":"ISLAMABAD(National Times)- Despite recent diplomatic developments suggesting a renewed push to ease\u00a0tensions\u00a0between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Foreign Office on Wednesday remained firm that meaningful progress in relations would depend on the Taliban taking concrete and verifiable action against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory. 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