Pakistan again accuses Taliban administration of breaking commitments and exporting terrorism

Murtaza Solangi, the spokesman for Pakistan’s president, has said the Taliban administration has failed to honour the commitments it announced despite five years having passed since the fall of Kabul, and that Afghanistan continues to face sweeping restrictions, security threats and regional instability.

In a note marking the fifth anniversary of Kabul’s سقوط, he wrote that the Taliban administration had promised in 2021 to form a representative government, not repeat harsh policies against women, and not allow Afghan soil to become a base for terrorism and drug trafficking. According to him, “five years was enough time,” but these promises have not been fulfilled.

Solangi warned that if the Taliban administration persists with its current policies, it will face a “much worse fate” than in 2001. Referring to reports by the UN sanctions monitoring group, he also said Afghanistan has remained a “persistent and continuing threat” to the region over the past five years.

The Pakistani official also claimed that while Islamabad is working to strengthen peace in the region, the Taliban administration is engaged in exporting terrorism to Pakistan in cooperation with India. He made the allegation alongside his criticism of the internal situation in Afghanistan.

In another part of his note, the spokesman for Pakistan’s president accused the Taliban administration of violating the rights of ethnic and religious minorities and expanding the drug trade. He wrote that women in Afghanistan have been deprived of education, work and participation in society, while the people have also been denied dignity and a secure future.

Solangi stressed that no administration can achieve lasting legitimacy through “internal repression and threatening its neighbours.” He added that the people of Afghanistan deserve education, peace, dignity and a future free of terrorism.

Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban administration has repeatedly promised to moderate its policies and ensure security, but restrictions on women and girls, along with regional concerns over the activities of extremist groups, remain among the main criticisms of the administration.