Afghans United Against Foreign Aggression Despite Internal Divisions, Says Haqqani

Speaking on Thursday at a meeting with tribal elders in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Munir reaffirmed Pakistan’s desire to maintain peaceful relations with Afghanistan but said the Taliban continued to assist India-linked militant groups despite Islamabad’s efforts to improve ties.

He also praised tribal communities for their “unconditional support” to Pakistan’s security forces amid rising tensions between the Pakistani military, Taliban fighters, and militant groups.

Pakistani forces have intensified counterterrorism operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in recent weeks. Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Taliban of sheltering and aiding militants operating against Pakistan and has called on Kabul to take concrete action, a demand that was among the key conditions during the second round of peace talks in Istanbul, which ended without progress.

The Taliban have denied Pakistan’s allegations, saying they do not allow their territory to be used for attacks against any country.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, 30 October, Jaiswal said Pakistan’s anger stems from the Taliban’s “independence and assertion of sovereignty” and accused Islamabad of believing it can “carry out cross-border terrorist activities without consequence.”

Reaffirming India’s stance on the growing tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban, Jaiswal said New Delhi supports Afghanistan’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.

Responding to a question about the Taliban’s plans to build a dam on the Kunar River, he said India is ready to cooperate with the Taliban on water resource management and hydropower projects.

“Between the two countries there has been a long history of cooperation on water matters,” he said. “The Salma Dam for example is a perfect example of this cooperation which is today called India–Afghanistan Friendship Dam.”

Jaiswal also referred to the recent visit of Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to India, noting that New Delhi is open to supporting Afghanistan’s development initiatives.

As border clashes between Pakistan and the Taliban intensify, India has increasingly taken a clear position in support of the Taliban-led administration in Kabul. Pakistan, meanwhile, has accused India of “fuelling instability” in the region.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has also alleged that India is attempting to disrupt peace talks between Islamabad and the Taliban, claiming he has documents to support this assertion.

Asif told Geo News that the Pakistani delegation remains in Istanbul, though negotiations have not yet formally restarted. The talks, which began on Saturday, stalled over disagreements about militant attacks launched from Afghan territory.

In an interview with Geo News, Khawaja Asif said that if there is a change in “Kabul’s attitude on the insistence of these two friendly countries [Turkiye and Qatar]”, there is a chance the talks will resume.”

He reiterated that Pakistan’s key demand remains unchanged: that the Taliban ensure no attacks are carried out against Pakistan from Afghan soil and that they do not support groups behind such assaults. “If an understanding can be reached on that, it will be a good thing,” he added.

Reuters, citing three informed sources, reported earlier that Pakistan and the Taliban are expected to resume talks in Istanbul after Turkiye intervened to prevent the collapse of the ceasefire and encouraged both sides to return to dialogue.

Asif confirmed that there has been no significant progress so far, but said defence ministers and intelligence chiefs from Turkiye and Qatar, who are mediating the talks, are working to break the deadlock.

He said the Pakistani delegation had been preparing to leave Istanbul, but Turkish and Qatari officials requested they extend their stay to give peace “another chance.”

In a statement, the Pakistani army said the operation took place overnight between 29 and 30 October, after security forces detected movements by a TTP group attempting to infiltrate across the Pakistan–Afghanistan frontier.

According to the military, Amjad had been operating from inside Afghanistan and was involved in multiple terrorist attacks within Pakistan. He was previously the TTP’s deputy leader and a close aide to the group’s chief, Noor Wali Mehsud. Amjad also headed the group’s leadership council and was designated a global terrorist by the United States in November 2022.

The TTP has not yet confirmed his death.

Amjad, a native of Dera district in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, had appeared in a video on 17 October claiming to be present in Bajaur. The Pakistani government had placed a bounty of five million rupees on his capture.

The army reiterated its long-standing position that the TTP leadership operates from Afghan territory and directs cross-border attacks into Pakistan. It urged the Taliban administration in Kabul to take “decisive steps” to ensure Afghan soil is not used for militant operations.

According to the US State Department, Amjad oversaw militant activities and coordinated violent operations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Alireza Bikdeli, Iran’s ambassador to Kabul, said in a video statement on Wednesday that the inaugural fuel shipment reflects growing trade ties between the two countries.

Mostafa Rezaei, CEO of the Iran–Afghanistan Railway Development Consortium, said the first consignment, 1,120 tonnes of diesel carried in 20 wagons, entered Afghanistan earlier this week via the Khaf–Herat railway line and the Shamtigh border crossing.

Rezaei said the arrival of the train at Rozanak station in Herat province marks the beginning of a new phase in trade and transport cooperation between Iran and Afghanistan. He added that in the initial stage, the consortium is prepared to export more than 30,000 tonnes of fuel per month via the Khaf–Rozanak route.

He said rail transport would reduce dependence on road convoys and eliminate costly border delays, improving both efficiency and reliability.

Rezaei described the Khaf–Herat railway as one of the region’s key strategic corridors, linking Afghanistan to Iran’s transport network and beyond to Turkiye and Europe. The route, he said, strengthens regional trade, ensures a stable supply of fuel and goods to Afghanistan, and supports energy market stability, particularly in Herat province.

According to official data, nearly 60,000 tonnes of goods were exported or transited from Iran to Afghanistan through the same route and border crossing last year.

Iran is one of Afghanistan’s largest trading partners, with annual bilateral trade nearing $4 billion. The ongoing closure of Pakistan’s ports to Afghan traders has further increased Afghanistan’s reliance on Iranian routes for trade and transit.