Pakistan Urges Afghanistan to Act Against Terror Groups

Pakistan on Thursday reiterated its demand for Afghan authorities to take decisive action against groups and individuals involved in terrorism targeting Pakistan, cautioning that the patience of the Pakistani people should not be tested. Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch emphasized this during her weekly press briefing, urging Afghan leaders to take Pakistan’s repeated requests seriously to combat the persistent terror threat from entities based in Afghanistan.

Baloch noted that not only Pakistan but also states in the Moscow Format and Neighboring Countries Format consider it the Afghan authorities’ responsibility to prevent their soil from being used for terrorism against Pakistan or neighboring nations.

In response to media speculation regarding a possible joint security mechanism between Pakistan and China for the protection of Chinese nationals in Pakistan, Baloch dismissed such reports as “speculative” and “agenda-driven.” She underscored the strong strategic partnership and mutual respect between Pakistan and China, describing their security cooperation as robust and based on trust, dismissing claims suggesting otherwise.

The spokesperson highlighted Pakistan’s recent diplomatic engagements, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s participation in the World Leaders’ Climate Action Summit at the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Baku. Sharif addressed key events, including the Climate Finance Roundtable hosted by Pakistan and the “Glaciers 2025: Action for Glaciers” initiative by Tajikistan. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also represented Pakistan, calling for urgent action on climate-induced hazards and promoting early warning systems.

Additionally, the spokesperson detailed the prime minister’s bilateral meetings with leaders from Azerbaijan, Turkiye, the UAE, Nepal, the UK, Czech Republic, Denmark, and China, as well as the Chief Adviser of the Interim Government of Bangladesh.

Baloch also discussed Pakistan’s participation in the Extraordinary Arab Islamic Summit in Riyadh, where the country strongly condemned the “Gaza genocide,” Israeli actions against Palestine and Lebanon, and recent strikes on Iran, reiterating Pakistan’s support for regional stability and justice in the Middle East.