ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Friday that the current ceasefire with Afghanistan is not holding, noting that the truce depended on an end to attacks carried out by terrorist elements operating from Afghan soil.
At his weekly media briefing, the Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said that the truce between Pakistan and Afghanistan does not imply a “traditional ceasefire”, which is implemented between two warring nations. The truce implied that there would be no terrorist attack by “Afghan-sponsored terrorist proxies into Pakistan. There have been major terrorist attacks after this ceasefire. So, interpreting in that sense, the ceasefire is not holding,” he clarified.
Responding to a question about the “threat” from Afghanistan, the spokesperson said that Pakistan’s military preparedness is robust. The security challenges we face would be addressed with the seriousness that they merit.
He said that after the terrorist attack in Tajikistan, the Taliban authorities are blaming “certain elements”, which, according to them, are seeking to create “disorder, instability, and mistrust” in the region. The spokesperson remarked that these elements, which the Kabul regime is referring to, are present on Afghan soil. “The Taliban regime claims to have control over the entire territory, so they should control these elements.”
The spokesperson rejected the impression that ISIS is present in Pakistan. The claim about the ISIS presence in Pakistan is “outrageous”. “It is a figment of the imagination of the Afghan Taliban regime. The Afghan side wants to externalise the menace of terrorism, which inherently is on their own soil and of their own making,” he maintained.
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He said that the Indian action of not following the prescribed procedures of data sharing under the Indus Waters Treaty is a matter of grave concern. Under the treaty, there is no such provision of abeyance. Indian actions constitute “a violation of the treaty”, he said.
The war rhetoric emerging from New Delhi, accompanying this violation of the Indus Waters Treaty, very significantly points toward the weaponisation of water, which is a breach of international law, particularly international humanitarian law.
He said that the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline was discussed during the bilateral political consultations held a week ahead of the Islamabad visit by Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. The matter remains on the agenda of both sides, and there is a general sense that the matter will be resolved bilaterally.
When asked about any prospect of coordination between Pakistan, China, and Pakistan and Tajikistan, following the terrorist attack in Tajikistan and a firing incident in Washington, DC, the spokesperson said that certain bilateral and multilateral mechanisms do exist. Bilaterally – Pakistan-Tajikistan, Pakistan-China, and China-Tajikistan – have robust mechanisms of dialogue and coordination on these issues. He said that the SCO RATS, of which Pakistan is the current chair, is another platform of coordination between the bloc’s members to deal with terrorism. He said that regional countries are well aware. He said that Pakistan is following up on coordination on this issue. We are looking at bilateral, as well as, multilateral forums. He added, “Such joint coordination needs to be enhanced in the days to come because this menace is growing and is reaching across national and trans-national proportions.”
He said that Pakistan has joined the Gaza peace process and voted for the UN Security Council’s resolution in “good faith”. Our single purpose was to end the bloodshed in Gaza and create a political process that would eventually lead to a lasting final settlement with the creation of the State of Palestine, he added.
The spokesperson said that Pakistani and Russian delegations held detailed interactions that took place over the last two days in Islamabad. We welcomed the Russian delegation to Pakistan here, and we have had a very in-depth discussion.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025