Ceasefire With Afghan Taliban Aims To Eliminate Terrorist Threat, Say Pak Defence Minister

The aide, Abdullah Azzam, claimed Baradar warned Hameed that Taliban fighters would respond to Pakistani military actions “in the language of bullets” during a discussion in Qatar over the Durand Line dispute.

In a post on X, Abdullah Azzam, chief of staff to Mullah Baradar, said the meeting took place on June 3, 2021, in Qatar, during discussions on intra-Afghan negotiations. According to Azzam, then–ISI Director-General Faiz Hameed asked Baradar to stop Taliban fighters from firing at Pakistani troops and from obstructing the construction of barbed-wire fencing along the Durand Line.

Azzam quoted Baradar as responding, “I’m responsible for political affairs, why are you talking to me? What you’re saying concerns the military commanders, and they respond in their own language (meaning gunfire).”

Azzam said he attended the meeting as an interpreter and claimed the conversation occurred at Hameed’s request. He added that Hameed told Baradar Pakistani forces had nearly completed fencing along the Durand Line but that Taliban fighters in Bahramcha were resisting the effort. “About 500 Mujahideen have gathered, firing at our forces and preventing the work,” Hameed reportedly said.

Faiz Hameed, who served as ISI chief from 2019 to 2021, became internationally known after the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August 2021, when he was photographed drinking tea with Taliban officials at Kabul’s Serena Hotel. He is now facing charges in Pakistan over political interference, violations of national security laws, and misuse of state resources.

No previous reports from 2021 mentioned a meeting between Hameed and Baradar about the Durand Line, and the former ISI chief has not commented on Azzam’s claims.

Azzam’s account comes amid renewed debate over the Taliban’s stance on the Durand Line, the disputed border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The controversy resurfaced after Qatar’s Foreign Ministry referred to it as a “border” in a statement about the recent Taliban–Pakistan ceasefire, contradicting the Taliban, who call it an “imaginary line.” Qatar later removed the term from its statement.

Azzam concluded that before regaining power, “the Taliban, while at war with 45 countries, were willing to fight another nation over a single strand of barbed wire, let alone recognise the Durand Line.” He also shared a photo allegedly showing the 2021 meeting, appearing to depict Faiz Hameed praying behind Mullah Baradar in Qatar.

The operation, now in its fifth consecutive day, is part of what authorities describe as an effort to clear “illegally built” settlements.

Out of approximately 3,000 houses in the area, more than a third have already been destroyed. Local media reported that around 14,000 Afghan refugees have left the settlement so far, with the remaining residents expected to be expelled in the coming days.

Nearly 15,000 Afghans had been living in the neighbourhood. Many have returned to Afghanistan following the demolitions, while about 1,500 people remain in the area.

Local officials accused refugees of encroaching on public land, saying the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) owns the 215-acre site, which includes more than 3,200 houses and shops. Amir Fazal Owaisi, head of Karachi’s Anti-Encroachment Department, said the land is worth billions of Pakistani rupees and will be reclaimed by the government.

Refugees, however, dispute the claims, insisting they bought their plots legally and are now being prevented from selling them.

Authorities said the demolition and expulsion of undocumented Afghan refugees in Gulshan-e-Maymar will continue as part of a wider campaign against illegal settlements across Karachi.

According to the court, each received 39 lashes and was also sentenced to one year in prison. The floggings were carried out in front of local residents.

Despite repeated international appeals to end corporal punishment, the Taliban continues to impose public floggings for so-called moral offences, reviving punishments reminiscent of its 1990s rule.

Human rights organisations have repeatedly criticised the Taliban’s judicial system, saying it lacks due process and that defendants are denied basic legal rights, including access to defence lawyers.

Hassan told the Russian newspaper Izvestia that discussions are under way on allowing the use of Russia’s Mir bank cards in Afghanistan, with initial steps already taken toward implementation. He said the move would help expand trade and financial cooperation between the two countries.

The Mir payment network, developed by Russia’s central bank as an alternative to Western systems such as Visa and Mastercard, aims to facilitate financial transactions amid international sanctions.

According to Izvestia, one of the main challenges to launching the system in Afghanistan is the country’s shortage of ATMs and banking infrastructure.

Hassan said the Taliban needs unrestricted financial transactions to strengthen trade ties with Russia and attract Russian tourists to Afghanistan. He added that the project would mark an important step toward easing the Taliban government’s financial isolation.

Iran, which is also under Western sanctions, signed an agreement in 2024 to integrate with Russia’s Mir system.

Russia remains the only country to have formally recognised the Taliban.

In an interview with Al Jazeera on Sunday, Mujahid said Pakistan and other countries use the label of “terrorism” for political purposes against their opponents. “There is no universal or clear definition of terrorism,” he said, adding that any government can brand its adversaries as terrorists to advance its own interests.

His remarks come after a Pakistani military spokesperson said on 10 October that militant attacks launched from Afghan soil pose a serious threat to Pakistan’s national security and warned that Islamabad would not remain passive in response.

Mujahid urged Pakistan to resolve its dispute with the TTP through dialogue, stressing that the Taliban will not allow any armed groups to use Afghan territory to launch attacks against Pakistan.

The Taliban denies the presence of Pakistani militants inside Afghanistan and considers the TTP’s demands of Islamabad legitimate. Like their Afghan counterparts, the Pakistani Taliban have declared jihad against Pakistan’s government and seek to establish a Taliban-style Islamic state there.

The TTP has stepped up deadly attacks on Pakistani security forces in recent months, while Islamabad has struggled to contain cross-border assaults and repeatedly called on the Taliban to restrain the group. Pakistan has warned that it will retaliate against TTP attacks launched from Afghan territory.

Mujahid also said the Taliban would respond to any attacks on Afghanistan by Pakistan or other countries. He expressed hope that upcoming talks in Türkiye, focused on establishing mechanisms for cooperation between Islamabad and Kabul, would help ease tensions between the two sides.