Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leader of Pakistan’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, said he welcomed recent remarks by senior Taliban officials signalling a willingness to resolve differences with Islamabad through dialogue.
In a post on X, Fazlur Rehman said statements by the Taliban’s interior and foreign ministers were encouraging for Pakistan and urged Islamabad to pursue a similar approach. He was referring to a declaration issued on Monday by participants in a meeting of the “Majlis Ittehad-e-Ummat Pakistan” held in Karachi.
The JUI leader, who is widely seen as close to the Taliban, said the declaration had received a positive and appreciative response from Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani.
“These messages are encouraging for Pakistan,” Fazlur Rehman said, expressing hope that Pakistani officials would also view the efforts of religious scholars and groups positively and take steps towards easing tensions and promoting peace between Kabul and Islamabad.
Taliban interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani has previously said the Taliban leadership is seeking reasonable solutions to current problems and aims to address misunderstandings with the international community through dialogue. On Sunday, December 28, speaking at Kabul Municipality, he welcomed and thanked Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and several Pakistani clerics for what he described as their “positive statements” about Afghanistan, urging cooperation in rebuilding the country rather than pursuing confrontation.
A day earlier, Dar welcomed a fatwa issued by Taliban clerics calling for an end to the export of war beyond Afghanistan’s borders. In separate remarks, Muttaqi also praised the Karachi meeting, saying Pakistani religious scholars had offered “the best advice” to their system and that Afghanistan respects the constructive role of clerics in strengthening brotherhood and bringing the two countries closer.
Relations between Pakistan and the Taliban have been strained in recent months, with repeated clashes along the border. Pakistan has also carried out several airstrikes in and around Kabul and in southern and eastern Afghan provinces, though it has never officially claimed responsibility. Islamabad accuses the Taliban of supporting the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an allegation the Taliban deny.
Delegations from both sides later held talks in Doha, resulting in an announcement of an immediate ceasefire. However, subsequent negotiations in Istanbul ended without a final agreement.
