ISLAMABAD, October 19 — Pakistan has called on the Taliban-led Afghan government to take verifiable and decisive action against the Fitna Al Khwarij (FAK), during Qatar-mediated talks held in Doha on Saturday amid heightened border tensions and cautious optimism for de-escalation.
The high-stakes dialogue came after a week of deadly cross-border clashes, including Pakistani airstrikes on alleged FAK hideouts in Afghanistan and retaliatory Taliban attacks on Pakistani border posts, which claimed at least 23 Pakistani soldiers and reportedly over 200 Taliban fighters.
Led by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and ISI Chief Lt Gen Asim Malik, the Pakistani delegation stressed that FAK sanctuaries on Afghan soil are “unacceptable”, pressing for tangible steps to dismantle the group’s operational base. While willing to cooperate, Afghan Acting Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob Mujahid and Intelligence Chief Maulvi Abdul Haq Wasiq requested verified coordinates of the FAK locations, promising to act on Pakistan’s concerns.
However, the Taliban side cautioned that it is “unrealistic” to expect Kabul to entirely halt FAK incursions into Pakistan, further complaining that Islamabad’s public rhetoric is damaging their global recognition efforts.
The dialogue, which continued late into the night, is expected to produce a joint communique. A temporary ceasefire remains in place, though Friday’s Pakistani strikes on Gul Bahadur Group positions briefly threatened to derail talks. Pakistan insists the targets were verified militant camps, not civilians.
Meanwhile, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar rebuked the International Cricket Council (ICC) for its “premature and biased” statement alleging the deaths of three Afghan cricketers in airstrikes. Tarar rejected claims of civilian casualties, calling them attempts to generate sympathy for terrorist elements like the FAK.
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In a separate development, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim offered to mediate between the two neighbours to restore regional stability.
As the fragile ceasefire holds, Islamabad remains firm: concrete, verifiable Taliban action against the FAK is non-negotiable.
