A notable development

Publishing date: 17 December 2025

Published in: Business Recorder

The resolution recently adopted by more than a thousand senior Afghan clerics marks a notable development in the strained relationship between Pakistan and the interim Afghan government.

Although the declaration does not explicitly name Pakistan, its content, tone and timing clearly indicate an effort to address Islamabad’s longstanding concerns over cross-border militancy — particularly the surge in attacks by the so-called Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) operating from the Afghan territory. With earlier mediation efforts by Turkey and Qatar failing to secure a written commitment from Kabul — and Saudi Arabia now reportedly attempting to facilitate reconciliation — this clerical resolution amounts to the first significant public assurance, however indirect, on an issue central to Pakistan’s security anxieties.

The resolution states unequivocally that Afghan soil must not be used against any other country, echoing Pakistan’s repeated demands. Importantly, it also declares that anyone conducting military operations beyond Afghanistan’s borders would be deemed a rebel against the Islamic Emirate, in violation of the Emir’s orders and liable to punishment.

The clerics further cited Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada’s directive barring Afghan nationals from engaging in military activity abroad. By framing cross-border militancy as both a religious and political transgression, the resolution effectively seeks to delegitimise groups like the TTP, which profess allegiance to Akhundzada while carrying out attacks inside Pakistan.

Although the statement is formally attributed to independent clerics rather than the Taliban government, the scale of participation — senior scholars from 34 major jihadi seminaries — and the alignment of its language with purported Taliban directives strongly suggest tacit, if not explicit, approval from Kabul.

In Afghanistan’s current power structure, where clerical authority is deeply intertwined with governance, such a far-reaching statement is unlikely to have been issued without at least indirect endorsement from the Taliban leadership. This is especially significant, given that the TTP recognises the Taliban supreme leader as its spiritual guide.

The timing is equally telling. Pakistan has taken the unprecedented step of keeping key border crossings closed to trade and transit for an indefinite period citing Kabul’s failure to curb TTP infiltration.

The economic repercussions of these closures are being felt on both sides of the border, further straining already fragile ties. In this context, the clerics’ resolution appears intended as a conciliatory gesture — a signal aimed at easing tensions and reassuring Islamabad that Afghan territory will not serve as a staging ground for anti-Pakistan attacks.

However, the value of this gesture will ultimately depend on follow-up action. Declarations, even those endorsed by powerful religious authorities, must be followed by concrete measures: tighter border controls, decisive action against TTP factions operating in Afghanistan, and verifiable guarantees that militant networks are being dismantled rather than relocated deeper into the Afghan territory.

The hope now is that influential Afghan stakeholders recognise that cooperation with Pakistan is essential — and that ambiguity on the question of cross-border militancy is no longer tenable.