Director General ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said Pakistan is willing to hold talks with the Afghan Taliban, but the handover of militants and dismantling of sanctuaries inside Afghanistan would be a precondition for any engagement.

 

DG ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, in an interview on a private news channels’s programme, said that Islamabad remains open to dialogue but expects Kabul to act against groups involved in attacks inside Pakistan.

 

He said that the Afghan Taliban must decide “whether Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) holds priority over ties with Pakistan.”

 

He stated that militants are being sheltered in Afghanistan, including within government facilities, and said that action against them must precede any talks. He added that Pakistan has repeatedly raised the issue at different forums while seeking assurances on commitments from the Afghan side.

 

Referring to recent tensions, the DG ISPR said that Pakistan carried out strikes on sites in Kabul linked to what he described as infrastructure supporting attacks against Pakistan.

 

According to him, the action followed 53 attacks on Pakistani check posts. "They initiated it, Pakistan responded.” He said that 81 locations were targeted, including ammunition depots and drone storage facilities.

 

He rejected reports of civilian casualties, terming them propaganda, and said Taliban fighters operate without uniforms and in civilian clothing. He also alleged that drug addicts are used in suicide attacks and questioned the establishment of a drug treatment facility near an ammunition storage site.

 

The DG ISPR said that Pakistan has no issue with the Afghan population and described them as affected by the current situation.

 

During the interview, he also claimed that Afghanistan is hosting members of transnational militant groups. He said Somalia’s Al-Shabaab has been invited and provided space, and alleged contact with Osama bin Laden’s son, Hamza bin Laden. He said that Afghanistan has become a centre for militant groups and that Pakistan is acting as a barrier against them, describing the situation as a wider regional issue.

 

He further alleged Indian involvement in attacks inside Pakistan. He also said that drones used against Pakistan were being supplied to the Afghan Taliban, adding that Pakistan has intercepted drones entering from across the border.

 

He added that Pakistan has not imposed conflict on Afghanistan and that the country has faced the impact of militancy over decades, with thousands of casualties. He added that narcotics and cross-border smuggling have also contributed to the situation, while noting a decrease in such activities and cross-border attacks in recent period.