Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has said Pakistan’s commitment to peace should not be mistaken for weakness, warning that Islamabad will respond to any attempt to destabilise the country.
Addressing a seminar titled “Afghan Predicament and the Trajectory to Peace” in Islamabad, Tarar said Pakistan and Afghanistan were neighbours and would remain so despite tensions between the two countries.
“Any attempt from Afghanistan to disrupt peace in Pakistan, these attempts to destabilise Pakistan have been responded to and shall be responded to,” Tarar said.
The minister said Pakistan had consistently advocated peaceful coexistence and had made repeated efforts to resolve differences with Afghanistan through negotiations and dialogue. He said several high-level Pakistani delegations had travelled to Afghanistan to seek solutions and promote peaceful relations.
Tarar said the Afghan interim government needed to move away from what he described as a “militant mindset” and adopt a more statesmanlike and responsible approach.
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He said Pakistan’s concerns included the presence of terrorist safe havens and members of internationally proscribed organisations in Afghanistan. According to Tarar, Islamabad had repeatedly raised these concerns during negotiations and stressed the need for a sustainable framework for peace.
Tarar also highlighted the economic potential of stronger relations between the two countries. He said peace in Afghanistan could help establish trade routes connecting Central Asia with Pakistan, providing landlocked Central Asian states with access to warm-water ports.
He identified violent extremism and militancy as major obstacles to developing such regional trade links.
The minister also discussed Afghanistan’s young population and the participation of women in the workforce. He said restrictions on women’s participation limited their contribution to economic development.
Tarar further criticised what he described as an ideological interpretation of Islam that restricts fundamental rights for sections of Afghan society. He said peaceful coexistence required acceptance of the principle of “live and let live.”
Pakistan’s information minister said Islamabad would continue pursuing dialogue and negotiations, maintaining that lasting peace was essential for economic development and regional prosperity.
His remarks come amid heightened tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Islamabad has accused the Afghan Taliban administration of allowing militant groups to operate from Afghan soil, while Kabul has rejected such allegations. Recent cross-border strikes and clashes have further strained relations between the two neighbours.
