Yaqoob Sheikh who has been described as having links to Lashkar-e-Taiba has warned the Taliban that if they fail to guarantee Afghan territory will not be used against Pakistan, his party will stand alongside the country’s army.
In a video message circulated on social media, Sheikh said his group was ready to make “any sacrifice” to defend Pakistan. “We are prepared to sacrifice everything for the defence of our beloved homeland,” he said.
The US Treasury Department sanctioned Muhammad Yaqoob Sheikh in 2012 for his membership of the central council of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba group in Pakistan.
The Markazi Muslim League, where Sheikh is a senior leader, was formed after the banning of Jamaat-ud-Dawa and later Milli Muslim League, both widely regarded as political fronts for Lashkar-e-Taiba. Several leaders from those banned organisations are now active under the Markazi Muslim League banner in different parts of Pakistan.
Lashkar-e-Taiba was founded in Pakistan in the 1980s under the leadership of Hafiz Saeed, following a Salafi Islamist ideology. The group has primarily focused on attacks against India, particularly in the disputed Kashmir region.
Sheikh welcomed Pakistan army chief Gen Asim Munir’s move to mobilise clerics for the defence of the country, saying the step had earned Munir the trust and respect of Pakistan’s religious scholars.
He also referred to a recent gathering of Taliban clerics in Afghanistan, saying Afghan religious scholars had “issued a fatwa stating that Afghan soil should not be used for terrorism against any country.” The remarks appeared to refer to a meeting at which Taliban-aligned clerics opposed the use of Afghan territory by foreign militants and declared it impermissible for Afghans to take part in wars against other countries.
Sheikh praised what he described as the “sacrifices of the Pakistani army,” adding that every country has the right to exceed certain limits in self-defence.
He said the Afghan Taliban must declare that “not even a single bullet will be fired from Afghan soil towards Pakistan.” If such a guarantee were provided, he said, Pakistan’s clerics would be “appreciative” and relations between Kabul and Islamabad would improve.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban of sheltering Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants and allowing them to plan and carry out attacks on Pakistani territory from Afghanistan. The Taliban have consistently denied the allegations.
Sheikh’s remarks come amid heightened tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban and suggest that Islamabad’s military leadership is seeking to mobilise religious narratives and militant-linked networks to increase pressure on the Taliban. Pakistan has demanded a written guarantee from the Taliban that TTP militants will not use Afghan territory to launch attacks.
Several rounds of talks between the Taliban and Pakistan, held in Qatar, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia, have failed to resolve the dispute or produce a lasting agreement. In recent months, border clashes between the two sides have left dozens dead and hundreds wounded.
