Pakistan, UK voice shared concern over TTP threat from Afghanistan, agree to deepen counter-terrorism cooperation

Pakistan and the United Kingdom have voiced shared concern over the threat from terrorist groups operating in and from Afghanistan. The two countries held their annual bilateral counter-terrorism dialogue in Islamabad on Wednesday, and the Foreign Office statement afterwards singled out the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, whose fighters Islamabad says strike into Pakistan from Afghan soil.

Both sides, the statement said, stressed that a stable and secure Afghanistan is essential for lasting peace and prosperity across the region. They reviewed their bilateral and multilateral counter-terrorism cooperation and restated a commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations — the kind of language that, on its own, sounds routine, but here it came attached to a specific complaint both capitals now share.

Who sat across the table

The Pakistani delegation was led by Dr Fariha Bugti, Director General for Counter-Terrorism, while the British side was headed by Thomas Berry, Director for National and Economic Security at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Their talks covered the shifting regional and global security picture, including the threat from transnational terrorist networks, and went beyond the familiar ground of militant groups to the newer problems both governments say they are now chasing.

Newer threats were on the agenda too

Misinformation and disinformation campaigns, the exploitation of social media platforms and the misuse of emerging technologies all came up, according to the statement. The two sides agreed to exchange best practices, explore new avenues of partnership, strengthen institutional linkages and keep up regular engagement — practical steps, rather than a fresh declaration, to carry the cooperation forward.

The British delegation also offered condolences for the innocent lives lost in terrorist attacks in Pakistan and said the UK stood with the country in the fight against terrorism. It acknowledged Pakistan’s contributions to regional stability and security, the Foreign Office said. The next round of the dialogue will be held in London in 2027, on dates the two sides will agree together.

Islamabad’s underlying message has not changed: it wants the Taliban administration in Kabul to dismantle the sanctuaries it says the TTP uses on Afghan soil. Officials say those appeals have gone unheeded, and that unresolved grievance is what has kept Pakistan-Afghanistan ties strained for the past few years. Earlier this year the two countries had already agreed to deepen cooperation on counter-terrorism, illegal migration and human smuggling, institutional collaboration and police training — Wednesday’s meeting was the annual stock-take of that work.