Strained Pakistan-Afghanistan relations due to cross-border activities and conflicts between armed groups

Pakistan and Afghanistan’s relationship has seen recent strain over alleged cross-border activities.

The Pakistani Army has raised concerns about Afghanistan-based armed groups targeting its forces.

This concern centers around the supposed freedom these groups, including the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have in Afghanistan, a claim the Afghan Taliban government denies.

Tensions have been inflamed since the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2021, coinciding with increased armed violence in Pakistan, often attributed to TTP.

Despite the allegations, the Afghan Taliban consistently deny harboring members of these groups, or their soil being used for activities destabilizing to Pakistan.

Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid reiterated their position, stating they would not permit Afghanistan to be used against Pakistan and requested evidence if claims of TTP presence persist.

The US State Department also emphasized the Taliban’s duty to prevent Afghanistan from being used as a terrorist base.

This obligation mirrors key aspects of the 2020 Doha Agreement that set the stage for US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The TTP, a conglomerate of tribal armed groups formed in 2007, seeks to establish an Islamic state in Pakistan and is allegedly allied with the Afghan Taliban.

The recent surge in its activities has instigated the Afghan Taliban to facilitate peace talks between the TTP and Pakistan.