Movement of Terror Groups in Afghanistan Will Impact Region & World, Says Iranian FM

He stressed that Islamabad will not look to the will of the Taliban on countering militant groups inside Afghanistan.

Earlier, he criticised the Taliban and said that the group does not prevent the activities of the TTP within the framework of the Doha Agreement.

The increase in attacks of TTP on the Pakistani security forces has escalated tension between the Taliban and Pakistan and Asif has been a vocal critic of the Taliban’s hosting of TTP inside Afghanistan.

However, the Taliban have repeatedly reacted to Asif’s comments saying that they consider the TTP, Pakistan's "internal issue" and have urged Pakistan to talk with this militant group that wants to form a government like the Afghan Taliban in Pakistan.

On Saturday, Khawaja Asif said that the Taliban have ignored their commitments in the Doha Agreement and has not taken action to prevent the use of Afghan soil for terrorist activities.

In response, the Taliban spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, told the BBC that the Taliban adheres to the Doha Agreement only in relation to the United States. He added that the Taliban has signed this "agreement with the United States and treats Pakistan not within the framework of the Doha Agreement, but as a friendly country”.

These statements of Mujahid provoked Pakistan's Defence Minister who said that "irrespective of Afghanistan’s stance, Pakistan stands resolute in uprooting terrorism from its soil, whatever the source. This is regardless of whether or not Kabul has the will to reign in militants from within its borders”.

The Afghan and Pakistani Taliban have supported one another for the past two decades.

However, in order to address Pakistan's criticisms, the Afghan Taliban has stressed that the group has implemented a plan to transfer TTP fighters from near the border of Pakistan to northern Afghanistan.

Chamandi added that it took around 12 months for the Islamic Republic government agencies to operationalise the railway line.

This railway line was opened on Tuesday in the presence of officials of the Islamic Republic and the Taliban.

Chamandi added that through the Khaf-Herat railway, Afghanistan is connected to warm waters and this line also connects Iran to China.

Meanwhile, the deputy governor of Khorasan Razavi province emphasised that Iran should have a collective approach to resolving issues, including the water rights issue with the Taliban.

Over the past two years since taking power in Afghanistan, water rights has been the most challenging issue between the Taliban and the Islamic Republic. Despite numerous rounds of negotiations, the Islamic Republic officials have said that the water rights issue remains unresolved.

Earlier, the Minister of Interior of the Islamic Republic of Iran said that the Taliban should fulfil their responsibility and give 820 million cubic meters of Iran's rights from the Helmand River.

Saadat warned that in case of violation of the ban, the employers face fines and even imprisonment.

According to Saadat, if the employers violate the ban, they will be fined more than 210 US dollars for each working day, and in case of repeated violations, the amount will be more than 419 US dollars.

He added that according to Article 181 of the Labor Law of the Islamic Republic of Iran, employers who hire "foreign nationals without work permits" will be sentenced to imprisonment between 91 and 180 days.

The governor of Bandar-e Anzali described the presence of foreigners in this city as a social phenomenon with negative consequences.

Saadat told ISNA news agency, "This trend has become more intense recently, and the impact of the presence of Afghan nationals can have many negative consequences on the situation of Gilan province and Bandar-e Anzali city."

He stressed that hiring Afghans who lack work permits, results in an increase in the unemployment rate of the city, social anomalies, changes in the demographic structure of the city, as well as illegal marriages of foreign nationals with Iranian nationals.

After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the migration of Afghans to Iran intensified. Many Afghans immigrate to Iran due to the tough economic situation and the Taliban’s repressive practices. However, according to the official announcement of the Taliban, Iran continues to deport Afghans more intensively, and according to reports, about 18,000 people have been returned to Afghanistan in the last ten days.

Mohammad Khorasani, TTP’s spokesperson, said that the group does not use Afghan soil for its attacks and stressed that they plan and execute their attacks inside Pakistan.

In a statement on Saturday, Khorasani said that the TTP is stationed inside Pakistan and does not use the territory of any neighbouring country.

On Friday, Asim Munir, the Chief of Staff of the Pakistan army visited the injured soldiers of the recent armed attacks in Quetta city and said that the Pakistani Taliban have safe havens in Afghanistan. Munir expressed concerns that TTP has been planning operations against Pakistan from Afghanistan and number of Afghan citizens support the group.

However, the Tahreek-e-Taliban Pakistan said that they attack areas of Pakistan that do not have a border with Afghanistan.

Earlier, Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman of the Taliban, had assured the neighbouring countries, especially Pakistan, that Afghanistan's soil would not be used against any neighbouring country and called TTP an internal issue of Pakistan.

These developments happen while the Pakistani army has confirmed that the process of installing barbed wire on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan near the Durand Line is in the process of completion, but with all these measures, the Pakistani army has been complaining that militants enter Pakistan from Afghanistan.

In a statement on Friday, Pakistan Army stressed that according to the Doha agreement, they expect the Taliban to not allow Afghanistan’s soil to be used for terrorist attacks against any country.

It seems that this is the first time that the Pakistan Army in its statement mentions the non-implementation of the obligations contained in the Doha Agreement, which was signed in 2020 between the United States and the Taliban. Many consider the signing of this agreement to be the cause of the collapse of the previous Afghan government.

So far, the Taliban in Afghanistan have not said anything regarding the recent statements of the Pakistan army chief.

On Saturday, Asif said that the Taliban have ignored their commitments in the Doha Agreement and has not taken action to prevent the use of Afghan soil for terrorist activities.

Pakistan’s defence minister’s criticism comes just a day after Pakistan's armed forces expressed "serious concerns" about the "safe havens and freedom of movement" of Tahreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) members inside Afghanistan.

As the criticism of the Taliban is on the rise in Pakistan, the country’s Chief of Staff of the Army General Asim Munir is on a two-day visit to Iran.

Meanwhile, Pakistan witnessed another bloody attack by militants on the country’s security forces on Wednesday. At least five attackers and nine Pakistani security forces were killed in the attack on a military facility in Baluchistan province.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s defence minister claimed that Pakistan has sheltered five to six million Afghan refugees "with all their rights" for around 50 years. He added, "On the contrary, the terrorists who shed the blood of Pakistanis take refuge in Afghanistan."

Pakistan's defence minister warned that the current situation cannot continue. He emphasised that Pakistan would use all possible resources and measures to protect its soil and citizens.