Says Pakistan reserves the right to respond decisively against the perpetrators of this barbaric act
Pakistan summoned the Afghan Chargé d’Affaires on Monday and issued a “strong demarche” over a vehicle-borne IED attack carried out by Fitna al-Khawarij on a police post in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu District, which martyred 15 police constables.
A day earlier, terrorists rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the Fateh Khel police checkpoint, martyred 15 and injured three others. The attack triggered a massive blast that destroyed the checkpoint and left several personnel trapped under the debris.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today, the demarche “conveyed that a detailed investigation into the incident, along with evidence and technical intelligence, indicated that the attack was masterminded by terrorists residing in Afghanistan.”
“Reiterating Pakistan’s grave concern over the continued use of Afghan soil for terrorist attacks against Pakistan, it was impressed upon the Afghan side that Pakistan reserves the right to respond decisively against the perpetrators of this barbaric act,” the statement read.
The statement further highlighted the continued presence of various terrorist organisations operating from Afghan soil, noting that the permissive environment enabling their operations had been well documented by reports from the UN Monitoring Team and other international organisations.
“The fight against terrorism is a common cause, and the Afghan Taliban must honour their commitment not to allow their territory to be used for terrorism against other countries,” it added.
The ministry also stated that Pakistan had repeatedly urged the Afghan Taliban regime to take concrete and verifiable action against Fitna al-Khawarij, Fitna al-Hindustan, and ISKP/Daesh elements operating from Afghan soil.
“Pakistan has also constructively engaged with the Afghan Taliban regime through several rounds of talks mediated by friendly and brotherly countries. However, the Afghan Taliban have consistently failed to commit to, or deliver, meaningful and verifiable action against these terrorist outfits,” the statement continued.
The ministry further informed that the Afghan Taliban regime had been categorically told that, “if it continues to harbour these terrorist organisations, Pakistan will not compromise on its national security or on the safety and protection of its citizens.”
Read More: 15 policemen martyred, three injured in Bannu suicide attack on checkpoint
Pakistan has also launched Operation Ghazab Lil Haq in February to stop the infiltration of terrorists using Afghan soil to enter Pakistan and carry out terrorist activities.
Pakistan’s allegations against Afghanistan, India of supporting terrorism
Pakistan has repeatedly pointed to an Afghanistan–India nexus behind terrorism in the country.
In November 2024, Inter-Services Public Relations Director-General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry had issued a warning that the Afghan regime was a threat not just to Pakistan but to the entire region and the world, citing the abandonment of $7.2 billion worth of American military equipment during the US withdrawal.
Lt Gen Chaudhry reiterated that the Afghan regime was harbouring “Non-State Actors” who posed a threat to various countries in the region, noting the Taliban’s failure to establish an inclusive state and government post-2021. He stressed that Pakistan’s issue was with the Afghan Taliban regime, not the Afghan people.
Read More: Afghan regime poses threat to region, world: DG ISPR
After the conflict with India in May 2025, Field Marshal Asim Munir had said that Pakistan would never be coerced, and that all inimical designs to derail the country’s counterterrorism efforts would be “comprehensively defeated”.
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He had said Pakistan’s military remained prepared to respond across the full spectrum of conflict. He particularly criticised India’s growing tendency to resort to unprovoked military aggression, cautioning that strategic stability in South Asia was increasingly fragile and hinged on justice, especially in Kashmir.
In 2023, a UN report also revealed that the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had established a new base in K-P in mid-2023. The report shed light on close ties not only between the TTP and the Afghan Taliban but also with anti-Pakistani groups and al Qaeda.
Read This: The breeding ground for terror
The report further revealed that some Taliban members had also joined the TTP, perceiving it as a religious obligation to provide support.
Interlocutors reported that TTP members and their families received regular aid packages from the Taliban.
Importantly, the UN report noted a significant increase in Afghan nationals in the TTP ranks. This supported Pakistan’s stance that a growing number of Afghan nationals were involved in suicide attacks in the country.
