Pakistan Ties Trade With Afghanistan to Crackdown on TTP

DID Press: Islamabad announced on Friday that no meaningful trade or economic engagement with Afghanistan will be possible as long as the Taliban government continues to “harbor and support” anti-Pakistan militant groups. The statement comes amid Kabul’s recent shift toward diversifying trade routes away from Pakistan.

Tahir Hussain Andarabi, spokesperson for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, said during his weekly briefing that while Islamabad strongly supports regional trade and connectivity, such policies cannot coexist with “cross-border terrorism.”
“We extended many trade facilitation measures to Afghanistan, but these positive gestures have not been reciprocated by the Taliban regime,” he said.

Andarabi referred to recent attacks in Islamabad and Wana, which Pakistan says bear “clear signs of Afghan involvement,” including the fact that the suicide bomber in the capital’s attack was an Afghan national. “This reality must be acknowledged in Kabul,” he stressed.

He added that human lives take precedence over any commercial or transit considerations, and that Pakistan will only engage in significant trade with Afghanistan if the Taliban take “clear and decisive action” against anti-Pakistan groups, particularly Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the so-called Fateha al-Khawarij (FaK).

Rejecting the Taliban’s claims of being unable to control TTP, Andarabi said:
“This assertion is unacceptable. The Taliban claim full control over their territory, yet attacks on Pakistan continue to be orchestrated from Afghan soil.”

Pakistan reiterated that it still supports dialogue and mediation to resolve its disputes with the Taliban, but stressed that further talks will be pointless without concrete steps against TTP.

Andarabi said Afghanistan must be held accountable for individuals and groups involved in attacks on Pakistan, adding that Islamabad will take “all necessary measures” to protect its people.