ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has ruled out any dialogue with the Afghan Taliban, saying there is “nothing to talk about” until terrorism originating from Afghan soil comes to an end, Prime Minister’s Spokesperson for Foreign Media Mosharraf Zaidi said Friday.
Speaking to Pakistan TV Digital, Zaidi rejected suggestions of renewed talks after Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid indicated openness to dialogue.
“There won’t be any talks. There’s no dialogue. There’s no negotiation. Terrorism from Afghanistan has to end,” Zaidi said, describing Pakistan’s position as clear and unchanged.
He said militancy inside Afghanistan is an internal issue for the Afghan Taliban regime, but stressed that Pakistan’s responsibility is limited to protecting its own citizens and territory.
“If we know that there’s a terrorist at point A and there’s a terrorist enabler at point A, we will find a weapon to land at point A and eliminate the threat,” Zaidi said, underscoring that Pakistan has already outlined both its actions and the conditions required for de-escalation.
Zaidi added that responsibility for reducing instability rests not only with the Afghan Taliban “regime in question” but also with the wider international community, which he said must ensure Afghan soil is not used for cross-border terrorism.
In a separate interview, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar echoed the hardline stance, saying Pakistan’s objective is to neutralize threats and ensure national security.
Earlier, the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said military operations would continue “until the desired end.” Asked to clarify that objective, Tarar said it meant eliminating terrorist threats and making Pakistan safe.
“For us, we’ve been good neighbors, very friendly and very generous neighbors,” Tarar said. “Our generosity has often been seen as weakness.”
On the possibility of a ceasefire, Tarar said it was “too early to comment,” citing a fluid security situation. He also dismissed the prospect of Afghanistan gaining meaningful external backing.
“They have been trying to make alliances, but whatever they stand for is not acceptable anywhere,” he said, adding that expectations of outside support were “wishful thinking.”
Both officials stressed that Pakistan’s policy remains focused on countering militancy and restoring stability, with no immediate shift in approach under consideration.
