The Taliban’s defence minister, Mullah Yaqub Mujahid, said the group does not consider armed groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to be terrorists, in contrast to Islamabad’s position.
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.
