ISLAMABAD, Oct 18 – In a significant escalation, Pakistan launched targeted strikes against FAK-linked hideouts in Afghanistan on Friday, just hours after a deadly gun-and-bomb assault on a military installation in North Waziristan and despite a mutually agreed ceasefire with Kabul.
The strikes reportedly targeted positions of the outlawed Hafiz Gul Bahadur group in Paktika province’s Urgun and Barmal districts, following a suicide bombing at Khaddi Fort in Mir Ali, where attackers attempted to storm a military camp. Security forces said all four assailants were neutralized, but withheld official casualty figures.
The latest offensive marks a sharp shift in Islamabad’s approach toward the Afghan Taliban-led government. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, in a strongly worded statement, said Pakistan would no longer rely on diplomatic appeals or protest notes.
“There will be no more delegations to Kabul,” Asif posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Wherever the source of terrorism lies, it will have to pay a heavy price.”
He accused the Afghan Taliban of “sitting in India’s lap” and warned that terror safe havens inside Afghanistan would no longer be tolerated. He also reiterated that all Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan would be required to return to their homeland.
Despite the extended ceasefire, security officials clarified that the truce applied to state actors and not to non-state terror groups operating across the border.
طالبان کے 2021سے اقتدار میں آنے کےبعد سے لیکر پاکستان میں امن اور افغانستان سے دراندازی کے لئے ھماری حکومت کی کوششوں کا تفصیلی جائزہ۔۔۔
1-وزیر خاجہ کے کابل وزٹ 4
2-وزیردفاع اور ISI وزٹ2
3-نمائندہ خصوصی 5وزٹ
4-سیکرٹری 5وزٹ
5- نیشنل سیکورٹی ایڈوائزر 1وزٹ
6-جوائنٹ کوآرڈینیشن…— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) October 17, 2025
Meanwhile, Qatar-mediated talks between Islamabad and Kabul are expected to commence in Doha, though uncertainty looms over participation. Reports suggest senior Taliban figures, including Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob Mujahid, may attend, while Pakistan’s side could be represented by NSA Lt Gen Asim Malik.
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The developments come amid mounting tension, with over 3,800 Pakistani lives lost and 10,000+ terrorist incidents reported since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
