Pakistan has warned the Afghan Taliban authorities to take concrete and verifiable action against militant networks that Islamabad says are being used to plan and carry out attacks inside Pakistan, following the deadly attack at Kohat Police Lines.
The warning came after an attack on Friday at the old Police Lines in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where an explosives-laden vehicle detonated near a mosque during Friday prayers before armed attackers entered the police compound. The attack killed at least 21 people, including 15 police personnel, and injured more than 100 others, according to Pakistani officials. A subsequent clearance operation ended with the attackers killed.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Information said the attack highlighted what it described as the continuing threat posed by militant groups operating from Afghanistan. Islamabad has repeatedly accused the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other groups of maintaining networks on Afghan territory and using them to plan attacks against Pakistan.
The Pakistani government said condemnation of the Kohat attack by Kabul was not sufficient and called for sustained action to dismantle militant sanctuaries, disrupt recruitment and training networks, and prevent attacks from being planned or launched from Afghan territory. Pakistan also called on the international community to press the Afghan Taliban to take what it described as decisive and verifiable counterterrorism measures.
The government said Pakistan had both the will and capability to respond to terrorist threats and would take measures it considers necessary under international law to protect its citizens, territory and sovereignty. The statement followed repeated Pakistani concerns over alleged militant sanctuaries and support infrastructure in Afghanistan.
The Taliban authorities, however, have rejected Pakistan’s allegations regarding militant activity from Afghan territory. Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has warned Pakistan against conducting military operations inside Afghanistan, saying Kabul has the right to defend its territory. He has also called for dialogue and stronger intelligence cooperation between the two countries.
The latest exchange has further strained already difficult relations between Islamabad and Kabul. Pakistan maintains that militant groups, particularly the TTP, use Afghan territory to organise attacks inside Pakistan, while the Taliban authorities deny the allegations and have accused Pakistan of violating Afghan sovereignty.
The Kohat attack has added to concerns over growing militant violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The incident also came amid wider security tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, where Islamabad has repeatedly demanded action against groups it says threaten Pakistan from across the border.
Pakistan has indicated that future engagement with Kabul will depend on concrete and verifiable action against militant organisations. Despite the tensions, diplomatic channels between the two sides remain open, with both countries continuing to face pressure to address security concerns and prevent further escalation along their shared border.
The latest developments leave Pakistan and Afghanistan facing renewed diplomatic and security challenges, with the dispute over alleged militant sanctuaries remaining one of the central issues affecting bilateral relations.
