Islamabad, EU press Kabul to act against militant groups amid surge in attacks inside Pakistan

• Pakistan has been grappling with a surge in militant attacks mainly in its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan
• Pakistan and Afghanistan last month clashed along their border over the attacks, before agreeing to a ceasefire in Doha on Oct. 19

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the European Union (EU) have jointly called on Afghanistan to take concrete action against militant groups operating from its soil, the Pakistani foreign office said on Sunday, amid a renewed surge in cross-border attacks inside Pakistan.

Pakistan has been grappling with a surge in militant attacks, mainly by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in its northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province that borders Afghanistan since a fragile truce between the TTP and Islamabad broke down in November 2022.

The country faces another decades-long insurgency by Baloch separatists in its southwestern Balochistan province. Islamabad has frequently accused Afghanistan of allowing the use of its soil and India of backing militant groups for attacks against Pakistan. Kabul and New Delhi deny the allegation.

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar discussed the issue of cross-border militancy with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission (HR/VP), Kaja Kallas at the 7th round of EU-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue in Brussels this week.

“The ministers discussed Pakistan-Afghanistan relations amid October 2025 cross-border tensions, reaffirming their commitment to regional peace, stability, prosperity and resolving issues through dialogue between neighbors,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a joint statement shared on Sunday.

“The two sides called on Afghanistan’s de facto Authorities to play a constructive role in achieving the shared objective of rooting out terrorism from Afghan soil.”

The TTP has been behind some of the deadliest attacks in Pakistan since late 2000s. The group is separate from the Afghan Taliban but is viewed by Pakistani officials as an ally of the Afghan authorities. Kabul denies it.

Earlier this week, Danish deputy permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) Sandra Jensen Landi told a Security Council briefing that the TTP has been receiving “substantial” support from the “de facto Afghan authorities.”

“The TTP with its approximately 6,000 fighters is another serious threat emanating from the region, receiving both logistical and substantial support from the de facto authorities,” she said.

“The TTP has conducted numerous high-profile attacks against Pakistan from Afghan soil, some of which incurred mass casualties.”

Last month, Pakistan and Afghanistan clashed along their 2,600-kilometer border over the surge in attacks, before agreeing to a ceasefire in Doha on Oct. 19. Tensions, however, remain high between the neighbors as militant attacks continue in Pakistan’s regions bordering Afghanistan.