Both sides are stepping back from public rhetoric to reset ties; Pakistan insists on verifiable steps against terror
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan and Afghanistan appear to be making a renewed but cautious push to overcome their deep-seated differences over the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), with recent developments suggesting a conscious effort by both sides to tone down public attitudes, even as a wider breakthrough remains elusive.
While an apparent stalemate continues on key security issues, particularly Islamabad’s insistence that Afghan soil not be used for cross-border attacks, behind-the-scenes diplomacy appears to have yielded at least one tangible result: a lowering of the rhetoric and an emphasis on dialogue over confrontation.
Sources said mediators wanted both sides to at least tone down public rhetoric to create a positive atmosphere for talks. According to them, mediators persuaded the Taliban regime in Kabul to take certain steps, such as issuing Fatwa and an unequivocal public statement from their leadership to address Pakistan’s security concerns.
This shift has been reflected in a series of carefully worded statements from Kabul and Islamabad over the past week, following significant religious intervention by Afghan clerics.
Afghan Ulema recently issued a fatwa barring Afghans from carrying out attacks beyond the country’s borders, a move welcomed in Islamabad as a potential confidence-building measure rather than a final solution.
Soon after the fatwa, Afghanistan’s Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani publicly assured Pakistan that Afghan soil would not be used against any other country. His statements were widely seen by Pakistani officials as part of a broader effort to defuse tensions and rebuild a minimum level of trust.
On Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar welcomed Haqqani’s statement and praised his emphasis on resolving outstanding issues through negotiations rather than confrontation.
The answer from Kabul came quickly.
On Sunday, Sirajuddin Haqqani welcomed Dar’s remarks as well as a separate statement issued by Pakistani religious scholars in Karachi who had urged both governments to resolve their differences through dialogue. Haqqani emphasized the importance of engagement and signaled Kabul’s receptiveness to non-military options to ease tensions.
Earlier, Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi welcomed the scholars’ call, noting that religious leaders have historically played a constructive role during periods of tension, often helping to guide societies toward prudent decisions.
The growing involvement of religious voices on both sides appears aimed at creating political and moral space for de-escalation at a time when formal diplomatic channels have struggled to deliver results.
Despite several rounds of negotiations, progress has been limited. Following the inconclusive end to recent talks between delegations from the Taliban regime and Pakistan, Dar confirmed that further engagements had taken place in Saudi Arabia.
However, he acknowledged that these negotiations, like previously held by Turkiye and Qatar, did not produce concrete results.
The admission emphasizes the depth of the impasse. Pakistan has repeatedly insisted that improved ties depend on verifiable action against the TTP, which Islamabad says operates from Afghan territory.
Kabul, for its part, has maintained that it does not allow its soil to be used against any country, while often framing the issue as an internal Pakistani challenge.
Speaking on the latest security developments, Dar said Islamabad was closely monitoring the events of the past weeks and months, stressing that any improvement in relations depends on the Afghan side’s compliance with its commitments.
“What happened last month, what changed last week and what improvements follow these actions… they know very well that if some of our requests, especially on counter-terrorism, are met, the impact will be very significant,” Dar said.
The foreign minister stressed that Pakistan was not seeking rhetorical assurances, but concrete steps, especially in counter-terrorism cooperation. According to officials, Islamabad believes that even limited, visible action can help change the current trajectory of bilateral ties.
Dar also welcomed the fatwa issued by Afghan religious scholars banning fighting outside Afghan territory, describing it as a positive signal. He expressed appreciation for Haqqani’s statement affirming that Afghan soil would not be used against other countries.
“I think if they seriously implement the commitments made in the two fatwas and the recent statement by Sirajuddin Haqqani, and if a noticeable difference is seen in the next two to four weeks, I am confident that our government, the prime minister and the field marshal will be happy to reconsider the matter,” he said.
The reference to a defined time window suggests that Islamabad is seeking early indicators of change, rather than open assurances. For now, both sides appear to be calibrating their approach, avoiding escalation in public, welcoming conciliatory language and allowing religious actors to play a mediating role.
Whether this softer tone translates into concrete action on the ground remains uncertain. Still, the latest exchange of statements marks a departure from the strident rhetoric that has characterized much of the past year, offering a narrow opening for engagement at a time when both Islamabad and Kabul face mounting domestic and regional pressure.
