ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said Pakistan was “forced” to suspend all trade with Afghanistan due to the Afghan interim government’s failure to act against terrorist groups operating from its territory.
Trade at the Pak-Afghan border has remained suspended since mid-October 2025, following border clashes. Multiple rounds of talks aimed at establishing counter-terrorism mechanisms failed to yield results, despite mediation efforts by Turkiye and Qatar.
Addressing a national workshop in Islamabad, the prime minister said, “There is a complete blockade of Pak-Afghan trade. It should not have been there, but they forced us.”
He stressed the need for clarity on Afghanistan’s intentions, stating, “This time, it must be decided whether Afghanistan wants to live peacefully or not […] They are our brothers and sisters. If the interim Afghan government does not have an interest in this (peace with Pakistan), they should at least have mercy on its people and not oppress them.”
“Rest assured, we will keep trying our best,” he added.
Although official data indicates that Afghanistan has suffered greater economic losses due to the border closure, Pakistani exporters and business circles have also voiced concerns over financial setbacks.
“It is our neighbouring country, we have to live forever […] what is good for Afghanistan is good for Pakistan, and vice versa,” the prime minister remarked.
He described it as regrettable that both previous and current Afghan governments “did not cherish the hospitality” extended by Pakistan.
PM Shehbaz noted that while international assistance was provided for nearly four million Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan, the country also relied heavily on its own resources to support them.
He emphasized that Pakistan had merely fulfilled its duty toward the Afghan people, saying, “But the way they are paying us back is very upsetting.”
Referring to the 2020 Doha Accords, the prime minister said the agreement was “very clear” that Afghanistan would curb terrorist activities and prevent militants from using its territory.
He recalled several meetings between Pakistani ministers and Afghan leadership, lamenting, “But they did not adhere to a single one of our recommendations.”
Speaking about the October 2025 border clashes and the failed negotiations that followed, PM Shehbaz said, “Nothing came of it. We had only one demand that you commit to rein in all terrorist outfits and proxies, whether it is the TTP, BLA, or the resources provided to them by India’s support.”
“Unfortunately, they did not make any serious commitment,” he added.
‘Terrorism resurged after 2018’
The prime minister also addressed the resurgence of terrorism, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, describing the province as a “beautiful region” whose people “never hesitate from sacrificing their lives for their country”.
Reflecting on the aftermath of the Afghan war, he said Pakistan welcomed refugees and treated them “like a family”.
“[But] what did pakistan get in return?” he questioned.
PM Shehbaz recalled that “thousands of innocent Pakistanis” lost their lives to terrorism and that “political houses sympathetic to KP” made significant sacrifices.
He said that by 2018, terrorism had been “completely eradicated” due to immense sacrifices. Referring to the aftermath of the 2014 Army Public School attack, he noted that the state had decided there would be “no good or bad Taliban”.
“And look, today there is no such difference,” he asserted.
Questioning the resurgence of militancy, he asked, “But after 2018, what was the reason that this menace resurged?” adding that “we all know the answer very well”.
He claimed that militants were released from Swat and “thousands of people were called from Afghanistan to live in Pakistan”, which he described as a key reason behind the renewed wave of terrorism.
“Terrorism has today again carried out a major attack on this country’s development and prosperity especially in Balochistan and KP, and usually in other areas,” he said.
“Every day somewhere, there is a terrorist incident,” he added.
While paying tribute to the armed forces, PM Shehbaz said there could be “no greater sacrifice” than that made by soldiers, but expressed concern over social media campaigns spreading hatred and attempting to malign the martyrs.
“They spew venom against Pakistan in chorus with Pakistan’s enemies across the border,” he said, adding that the country would continue its fight against terrorism until it was fully eliminated.
