ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities have determined that nearly 70 percent of militants involved in recent attacks by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were Afghan nationals — a sharp increase compared to the 5–10 percent recorded in previous years.
According to media reports, this revelation was shared by Pakistan’s Special Envoy on Afghanistan Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq during a closed-door meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Afghanistan held recently in Dushanbe.
Following Pakistan’s disclosure, the Iranian representative also voiced similar concerns, citing the attack on Chabahar Port, where 16 out of 18 assailants were identified as Afghan nationals.
The growing involvement of Afghan citizens in cross-border terrorism has raised alarm bells in Islamabad, which now views it as a new and dangerous trend.
Officials fear this development highlights either the Taliban government’s failure or unwillingness to prevent Afghan soil from being used by the TTP against Pakistan.
Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul have already intensified in recent weeks following a spate of deadly attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which Pakistan has directly linked to militants operating from across the border.
Although the Taliban authorities deny allowing the TTP to operate freely, Pakistan maintains that the group continues to enjoy safe havens inside Afghanistan. In response, Islamabad is ramping up diplomatic outreach to regional stakeholders to build consensus and pressure the Taliban into taking decisive action against the group.
Sources confirmed that Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq will soon travel to Tehran and Moscow for consultations, reflecting Pakistan’s broader strategy of seeking regional consensus on countering the TTP threat. Both Iran and Russia, like Pakistan, remain wary of extremist groups exploiting Afghanistan’s fragile security landscape.
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