Pakistan's Foreign Minister told the Taliban: Form an inclusive government and put an end to your un-Islamic behaviors

Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan, on Tuesday in New York called on the Taliban to take “specific and verifiable” measures to prevent the use of Afghan soil against neighboring countries.

Speaking at the meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Afghanistan, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Dar said Afghanistan’s situation requires continued attention because of its consequences for peace, security, and stability in the region.

According to the official text of the speech published by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dar said Islamabad has “serious concern” over the presence of armed groups in Afghanistan for more than two decades, including Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Baloch Liberation Army, ISIS-Khorasan, Al-Qaeda, and the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement. He claimed that some attacks against Pakistan are planned and directed from Afghan soil.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister also referred to the recent attack on a police compound in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In that attack, which involved the explosion of a vehicle-borne bomb near a mosque and then an armed clash, according to reports, at least 31 people, including 16 police officers, were killed and more than 100 were injured.

Dar called on the Taliban to fulfill Afghanistan’s international commitments, end support for terrorist groups, combat drug, weapons, and human trafficking, and create an inclusive political process with the participation of all ethnic groups and minorities.

He also called for the removal of restrictions on women and girls and said policies that limit the fundamental freedoms of Afghans are contrary to Islamic principles and the norms of Muslim societies. He specifically referred to restrictions on girls’ education and women’s employment.

These remarks come as tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban have increased in recent days. Pakistan on Monday targeted positions in Afghanistan with airstrikes and announced that 28 members of armed groups were killed; Taliban officials, in response, said civilians were targeted.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has also confirmed the killing of at least three civilians, including a man, a woman, and a girl, and the injury of four others in airstrikes in Kunar.

In conclusion, Dar said Pakistan supports efforts to achieve a stable, prosperous Afghanistan at peace with itself and its neighbors; but he described the realization of this goal as requiring “mutual respect, sincerity, and the necessary political will” from the Taliban.