Pakistan Human Rights Minister Riaz Pirzadar has contradicted his government over the Taliban's* involvement in a series of terrorist attacks in Pakistan, which Islamabad has blamed on militants based in Afghanistan.
"A few things are taking place beyond [their knowledge] but as far as the Taliban … even today, their defense minister's statement has come that they would not allow any person to commit any act against Pakistan and that this is not jihad," Pakistan Human Rights Minister Riaz Pirzada told a local publication on Tuesday.
Pirzada noted that the current frostiness between the Taliban and Pakistani authorities was due to a difference of opinion between the two sides.
They underlined that the Islamic Emirate was honest and transparent in dealing with Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and China.
"So, I do not think that Afghanistan would be this disloyal to Pakistan. I do not accept this," he noted.
Pirzada's comments are in sharp contrast to the official Pakistani line on the matter.
Pakistani Leadership Warns Taliban of Military Campaign
In recent weeks, both the Pakistani top leadership, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and the country's powerful Army, who have repeatedly accused the Taliban of not doing enough to destroy the hideouts of terrorists affiliated with the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)**.
Pakistani law-enforcing agencies have held the TTP responsible for carrying out multiple terrorist strikes since November 2022 when the banned militant group unilaterally ended its ceasefire with the federal government.
Among the deadliest terror incidents in recent memory in Pakistan, the TTP allegedly tasked a suicide bomber to detonate himself in a Peshawar mosque in January, leaving over 100 dead, including scores of policemen.
Earlier this month, Bilawal warned Kabul that Pakistan will launch a military operation inside Afghanistan to dismantle the terror network there that acts against Pakistani interests in the region.
"We will act under international law to defend ourselves. If the Afghan authorities don't act, then action inside can be one of the options but not the first option," Bilawal said in an interaction with reporters in Pakistan.
Taliban's Position on the Issue
The Taliban, however, has continuously dismissed these allegations.
Last week, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid criticized Bilawal's statement, terming Islamabad's allegations as baseless.
"Various Pakistani officials are making baseless accusations against Afghanistan regarding the country's security situation, which we reject. The Islamic Emirate does not allow anyone to use the territory of Afghanistan against any other country," Mujahid posted on X, formerly Twitter.
* The Taliban is under UN sanctions over extremism.
** a terrorist organization banned in Russia and India.