Latest news with #Tehreek-e-TalibanPakistan
News18
17 hours ago
- News18
Two killed in two separate blasts in Pakistan
Agency: PTI Last Updated: Peshawar, Jun 1 (PTI) At least two people were killed in two separate explosions in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, officials said. A blast took place at a tube well near a house in Kohat district's Darra Adam Khel town, about 35 kilometres southwest of Peshawar, killing two people, a rescue official said. The house was completely destroyed in the explosion, the official said. In another incident, unidentified attackers planted an improvised explosive device (IED) in an under-construction building in Bannu district, another rescue official said. The explosion which heavily damaged the building belonging to the Rescue 1122 emergency services occurred after midnight, the official said. However, no casualties were reported in the incident, the official said. Bannu region police spokesperson Khanzala Quraishi said a police team responded promptly and launched a probe. This is the second attack on a Rescue 1122 building in the last three months. In April, a rescue department building was damaged in an explosion in Tank district. Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist incidents, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, following the collapse of the ceasefire agreement between the government and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in November 2022. Militant attacks and counter-terrorism operations surged in March 2025, with the number of terrorist incidents crossing 100 for the first time since November 2014, a Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies report said. Pakistan ranked second on the Global Terrorism Index 2025, with terror-related deaths rising by 45 per cent over the past year to 1,081. PTI AYZ RD RD RD First Published: June 01, 2025, 18:45 IST
United News of India
21 hours ago
- Business
- United News of India
Afghan Taliban welcomes Pakistan's decision to elevate diplomatic mission
Kabul/Islamabad, June 1 (UNI) The Afghan interim government has welcomed Pakistan's decision to elevate the diplomatic mission to the level of ambassador, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan welcomes the decision of the government of Pakistan to upgrade the level of its diplomatic mission in Kabul to that of an ambassador," said the statement by the ministry's deputy spokesman Hafiz Zia Ahmad posted on his X handle on late Saturday evening. "In reciprocity, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will elevate the status of its mission in Islamabad from chargé d'affaires to ambassador," the statement further said. "This elevation in diplomatic representation between Afghanistan and Pakistan paves the way for enhanced bilateral cooperation in multiple domains," the statement added. With relations between the two neighbours extremely tense, amid frequent cases of cross border fire, Pakistan's rough treatment of Afghan nationals during rapid deportation, and the massive instability in the country's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region where the terror organisation - the Tehreek -e- Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has gained significant footing, the development signals an intermittent cooling down of hostilities on a diplomatic scale. As per Xinhua, this development came following the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan trilateral dialogue in Beijing on May 21, which focused on improving regional cooperation, with China being one of the few states who have recognised the Taliban regime and is openly engaged in dialogue with them. UNI ANV SSP
DW
2 days ago
- Business
- DW
Afghanistan, Pakistan upgrade ties amid diplomatic thaw – DW – 05/31/2025
In a sign of warming relations between Kabul and Islamabad, the two neighbors have decided to appoint ambassadors in each other's capitals. The decision came days after their top diplomats met in Beijing. Afghanistan welcomed the decision to upgrade ties with Pakistan to the ambassador's level, Kabul's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi's office said on Saturday. "This elevation in diplomatic representation between Afghanistan and Pakistan paves the way for enhanced bilateral cooperation in multiple domains," the Afghan Foreign Ministry posted on X. Relations between the two neighbors have long been strained over Islamabad's accusations that Kabul harbors Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban. Pakistan's attempts to deport tens of thousands of Afghans have also contributed to bilateral tensions. Pakistan steps up deportation drive of Afghan refugees To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Upgraded Afghanistan-Pakistan ties On Friday, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced that the charge d'affaires in Kabul would be elevated to the rank of ambassador. He also said that their relations are "on [a] positive trajectory" since he visited Afghanistan in April. Later, Kabul announced that it would reciprocate the move. The decision came after Muttaqi met with Dar and their Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during a trilateral meeting in Beijing earlier this month. After their talks, Wang expressed Beijing's willingness "to continue to assist with improving Afghanistan-Pakistan ties." Muttaqi is due to visit Pakistan "in the coming days," ministry spokesman Zia Ahmad Takal told AFP news agency. Since Kabul fell to the Taliban in 2021, only a handful of countries have agreed to host Taliban government ambassadors. No country has officially recognized the administration. Edited by: Wesley Dockery
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Pakistan upgrades ties with Afghanistan
Listen to article Pakistan on Friday officially confirmed that it was upgrading diplomatic ties with Afghanistan and would soon exchange ambassadors with Kabul, in a significant shift in Islamabad's policy towards Kabul. The announcement of upgrading ties was first made by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi last week when he hosted foreign ministers of Pakistan and Afghanistan in Beijing. On Friday, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who held a second meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister within a span of 10 days in Hong Kong, issued a statement, announcing the upgrading of ties with Kabul. "Pakistan-Afghanistan relations are on a positive trajectory after my very productive visit to Kabul with the Pakistan delegation on 19th April 2025," Dar said in a statement. "To maintain this momentum, I am pleased to announce the decision of the Government of Pakistan to upgrade the level of its Chargé d'Affaires in Kabul to the level of Ambassador," he added. "I am confident this step would further contribute towards enhanced engagement, deepen Pak-Afghan cooperation in economic, security, CT & trade areas and promote further exchanges between two fraternal countries," he further said. Pakistan and Afghanistan have maintained diplomatic presence in each other's capitals but the missions were headed by charged affairs and not the full time Ambassadors. Exchanging ambassadors means that Pakistan would move a step closer to recognizing the Taliban government. China was the first country which sent a full time Ambassador to Kabul and accepted the Taliban envoy in March this year. A senior Pakistani official defended the move, saying apart from China, other regional countries including Turkey and Russia were also contemplating appointing their full time Ambassadors to Kabul. It is believed that China was nudging both sides from behind the scenes to resolve their issues through dialogue. Sources said for the first time the Taliban government had shown not only willingness but initiated certain steps to rein in groups operating out of its territory. The Taliban government recently launched a crackdown on elements supporting groups inimical to Pakistan. Kabul in particularly targeted Afghan citizens, who joined the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Another major sign suggesting a shift in its approach was a statement by Senior Afghan Taliban commander Saeedullah Saeed, who on Wednesday warned militant factions against unauthorized jihad, particularly in Pakistan, saying such actions were against Shariah and the orders of the Islamic Emirate's leadership. Speaking at a police passing-out ceremony, Saeed said that fighting in any country, including Pakistan, without the explicit command of the Amir is not permissible. "Joining various groups to wage jihad abroad does not make one a true mujahid," he stated. "Only the Amir of the state has the authority to declare jihad — not individuals or groups." Saeed emphasized that those carrying out attacks independently or moving between regions to conduct operations cannot be classified as legitimate fighters under Islamic law. "Jihad based on personal ego or group loyalty is considered fasad (corruption), not legitimate resistance," he added. The issue of terrorism was one of the key talking points during the three-way talks in Beijing. The Chinese official read out said Wang Yi stressed the need for combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. He also called for joint cooperation to combat the menace of terrorism and cautioned against external interference. In the wake of recent escalation in tensions into a military conflict between India and Pakistan, New Delhi was trying to reach out to the Taliban government. Breaking from its decades-old policy, Indian External Affairs Minister S J Shankar spoke to the Afghan interim Foreign Minister. The move seems to be part of India's recalibration in order to put pressure on Pakistan. But the meeting in Beijing appears to have preempted that move. The Chinese foreign ministry statement suggested that there was great incentive for the Taliban government to work closely with Beijing and Islamabad.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Pakistan to upgrade diplomatic ties with Afghanistan, appoint ambassador to Kabul
Pakistan on Friday announced to upgrade its diplomatic ties with Afghanistan and appoint an ambassador to the country, a major indicator of improvement in ties between the two neighbours. Pakistan had tacitly applauded the capture of Kabul by Taliban in 2021 with the hope that the regime would address its security concerns but it proved otherwise and cross border attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants increased manifolds. Also Read: Pakistan is looking to upgrade its ties with Afghanistan The ties plummeted as a result and Islamabad began accusing Kabul of providing sanctuaries to the TTP rebels while demanding action against them. The breakthrough in ties came through the trilateral mechanism of talks involving Afghanistan, China and Pakistan when the foreign ministers of the three nations met this month in Beijing. Also Read: Shehbaz Sharif's big admission: 'India's BrahMos foiled Pakistan's planned offensive' It is believed that China played a key role in sorting out differences between Pakistan and Afghanistan and the two agreed to upgrade diplomatic presence in their capitals. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar made the formal announcement, saying that the Pakistan-Afghanistan relations are on a positive trajectory after his visit to Kabul on April 19. Also Read: PM Modi's latest warning to Pakistan: 'Fight against terror has neither ended nor halted' 'To maintain this momentum, I am pleased to announce the decision of the Government of Pakistan to upgrade the level of its Chargé d'Affaires in Kabul to the level of Ambassador,' Dar said in a statement on X. 'I am confident this step would further contribute towards enhanced engagement, deepen Pak-Afghan cooperation in economic, security, counterterrorism and trade areas and promote further exchanges between two fraternal countries.' In a related development, Afghan interim foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is expected to travel to Islamabad soon on a first visit in two years, highlighting the growing high-level exchanges between the two neighbours in recent weeks, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. 'He will visit Pakistan soon. Dates are being worked out,' said a diplomatic source on Thursday. The source said the Afghan side has already accepted the invitation. According to a source, this will not be a daylong trip but a three-day trip where a whole gamut of relations would be discussed. In April, Foreign Minister Dar travelled to Kabul in a first visit by any Pakistani minister in three years. The visit helped ease tensions between the two countries. The sources said Muttaqi's visit was part of efforts to increase high-level exchanges. The two sides drew up a roadmap envisaging a series of visits by officials and ministers from both sides when a Pakistani delegation led by its special envoy Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq visited Kabul in the third week of March. The Afghan Taliban government's recent actions against groups posing a threat to Pakistan played a key role in the increased interaction between the two sides. In another major sign suggesting a shift in its approach was a statement by senior Afghan Taliban commander Saeedullah Saeed who, on Wednesday, warned militant factions against unauthorised jihad, particularly in Pakistan. Speaking at a police passing-out ceremony, Saeed said that fighting in any country, including Pakistan, without the explicit command of the Amir is not permissible. 'Joining various groups to wage jihad abroad does not make one a true mujahid,' he stated. 'Only the Amir of the state has the authority to declare jihad — not individuals or groups.' Saeed emphasised that those carrying out attacks independently or moving between regions to conduct operations cannot be classified as legitimate fighters under Islamic law. 'Jihad based on personal ego or group loyalty is considered 'fasad' (corruption), not legitimate resistance,' he added. He further stated that the Afghan leadership prohibited unauthorised entry into Pakistan, and any such act constitutes disobedience. 'Groups attacking in the name of jihad are defying both Shariah and the authority of the Afghan Emirate,' he said. His public statement is seen as a result of recent efforts both by Pakistan and China urging the Kabul administration to change its approach towards these groups. Sources said Pakistan would continue to encourage the Taliban government to carry out such measures. In return for these steps, Pakistan and China are willing to support Kabul both economically and diplomatically.
