ISLAMABAD: Federal Infor-mation Minister Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday said the interim Afghan government needed to “move out of its militant mindset”, declaring it the root of all current problems between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

At a seminar on Afghanistan and peace prospects, Mr Tarar described cross-border terrorism as a very complex problem requiring a long, lasting, and sustainable resolution. “The interim Afghan government needs to move out of its militant mindset into a mindset of a statesman or state,” he said.

“Pakistan and Afghanistan have been, are, and will remain neighbours. We have international borders, linkages, connections. But our past has been turbulent,” he stated, adding that Pakistan believed in peaceful coexistence. However, he said, “Can peace prevail is the question that confronts us today. Can peace be achieved? Yes, but is there a will to achieve peace? The answer unfortunately is no.”

Mr Tarar said multiple delegations from Pakistan had visited Afghanistan to hold talks with the interim government, as Qatar, Turkiye and China also hosted talks between the two neighbours. He said Islamabad had been expressing reservations over the use of Afghan soil in carrying out terrorist attacks. He said, “Even now, there are safe havens of terrorists and internationally banned outfits in Afghanistan.”

Islamabad had taken up the matter with Kabul, reminding the interim set-up that “only peace can lead to prosperity”, he said.

Referring to the rights situation in Afghanistan, the minister said there were “two forms of denial prevailing in Afghanistan: the denial of the existence of terrorist havens on Afghan soil, and the denial of the basic human rights to the people of Afghanistan” so much so that the people of Afghanistan had started raising their voice for a change.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2026