Afghanistan Talks Pakistan rules out negotiations with terrorists, says ISPR chief

Pakistan will not negotiate with terrorists but remains open to talks with the Afghan Taliban government, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said.

In an interview with Arab News, Gen Chaudhry said Pakistan’s main demand from Afghanistan was an end to militant attacks against Pakistan that Islamabad says are being carried out from Afghan territory. He said Kabul must fulfil commitments made under the 2020 Doha Agreement.

“Pakistan can negotiate with Afghanistan, but will not negotiate with terrorists,” he said.

The ISPR chief said Pakistan reserved the right to defend itself if the Afghan authorities failed to address its security concerns.

“It is up to them. If they don’t do it, then Pakistan has all the right of self-defense,” he said.

Gen Chaudhry also alleged that a large proportion of suicide attackers involved in attacks in Pakistan are Afghan citizens. He further claimed that Afghan nationals were present among militant formations entering Pakistan from Afghanistan.

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Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban of allowing militant groups, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), to operate from Afghan territory. Kabul has rejected some of Islamabad’s allegations and previously described claims that attacks in Pakistan were planned in Afghanistan as baseless.

On Balochistan, Gen Chaudhry said militant groups lacked public support and were attempting to impose their ideology through violence.

He also reiterated Pakistan’s position that India sponsors terrorism in Balochistan. Such allegations have been repeatedly made by Pakistani officials, while India has rejected accusations of involvement in militant violence in Pakistan.

Turning to Saudi Arabia, Gen Chaudhry said Pakistan was prepared to provide practical as well as diplomatic support to the Kingdom.

“Pakistan fully stands with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, both diplomatically and physically,” he told Arab News. He added that Pakistan would “go to any extent” to defend Saudi Arabia against aggression.

He described Pakistan’s commitment to Saudi security as “unconditional”, linking it to what he called a deep-rooted historical relationship between the two countries and their peoples, political leaderships and militaries.

His comments come amid renewed Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and increased attention on the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye on 7 August.

The agreement states that an armed attack against any one of the three countries will be treated as an attack against all three. Pakistan has previously said the pact is defensive in nature.

The ISPR chief said Pakistan’s military commitment also extends to the protection of Islam’s holy sites in Makkah and Madinah. He did not disclose whether Saudi Arabia had requested additional Pakistani forces or specific military equipment.