Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, chairman of Pakistan’s Ulema Council, has urged the Taliban to take action against extremism in Afghanistan, welcoming a recent gathering of Taliban clerics in Kabul and calling for the implementation of its resolution.
The meeting of Taliban clerics was held amid heightened tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. In a statement issued after the gathering, clerics aligned with the Taliban declared the use of Afghan territory against other countries illegitimate and warned that action would be taken against those responsible.
Speaking on Sunday, 15 December, Ashrafi said: “It is now the responsibility of the Afghan interim government to ensure the implementation of the recent declaration issued by its scholars.” He described the statement as “a positive step in the right direction.”
Ashrafi said there was no difference between the positions of Afghan and Pakistani clerics on the issue, adding that attacks should not be carried out from Afghanistan against Pakistan, or from Pakistan against Afghanistan.
His remarks come as relations between the Taliban and Pakistan have sharply deteriorated. A surge in militant attacks inside Pakistan has contributed to rising tensions and clashes between Afghan Taliban forces and the Pakistani military.
In response, Pakistan’s military has carried out strikes on targets inside Afghanistan, including in Kabul. Following the escalation, the two sides engaged in several rounds of talks mediated by various countries, but the negotiations ended without a breakthrough.
