Pakistan welcomes US offer to facilitate Afghan talks, but wants verifiable action from Kabul

Islamabad has opened the door to American facilitation of talks with Afghanistan, but with a condition attached in plain language. Foreign Office spokesman Sajjad Haider Khan said on Sunday that Pakistan would welcome sincere efforts by friendly countries, including the United States, to facilitate dialogue with Kabul — provided the Afghan Taliban authorities first show a clear commitment to concrete, sustained and verifiable action against militant groups. The statement landed while border tensions were still running high and both sides were trading public positions.

What exactly is the condition?

Speaking to Independent Urdu, the spokesman named the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, the Balochistan Liberation Army and other groups that Pakistan says operate from Afghan soil. No meaningful dialogue, he argued, is possible until Kabul commits to practical, verifiable measures against them. “Pakistan remains open to constructive engagement, provided it leads to tangible outcomes addressing our legitimate security concerns,” he said. The word doing the heavy lifting here is “verifiable”: Islamabad wants action it can see and measure, not assurances.

What Rubio said first

A day earlier, on Saturday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said at the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta that Washington was ready to play a “productive role” in easing tensions between Islamabad and Kabul. Rubio said the United States had heard Pakistan’s concerns about cross-border militant attacks and did not want the country to suffer from acts of terrorism, no matter where they emanate from or who they target.

Kabul’s reply

Kabul has rejected Pakistan’s allegations outright. The Afghan authorities maintain that no armed groups are present in Afghanistan and that Afghan territory is not being used against any country, particularly its neighbours. That denial is precisely the gap Islamabad’s condition is meant to close — and it is why the Foreign Office keeps returning to the phrase “verifiable action” rather than settling for a general promise to talk.

The backdrop

The information ministry said on Saturday that Kabul’s refusal to address cross-border terrorism remained the principal obstacle to restoring normal relations. Pakistan says around 4,700 of its nationals have been killed over the past three years in militant attacks originating from Afghanistan. For all the diplomatic movement, one thing has not changed: no date, venue or format for talks has been agreed, and Washington has announced no formal mediation plan, envoy or timetable. What exists so far is an offer, a welcome, and a set of conditions now stated openly.