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TTP operating from Afghanistan against Pakistan is ‘unacceptable’: Sharif
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday reiterated his call for improved relations with Afghanistan but emphasised that Kabul must rein in Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) first.
While addressing a cabinet meeting, Sharif said that Afghanistan was Pakistan’s “brotherly neighbour”, and that it was Islamabad’s heartfelt wish to improve relations with Kabul, especially with regards to the economy and trade.
“Unfortunately, the TTP is operating from Afghanistan and carrying out terror attacks and killing innocent people inside Pakistan. This cannot go on,” he said.
“We have conveyed to the Afghan government that we desire good ties with them but TTP should be stopped from killing our innocent people. This is a red line. TTP operating from there against Pakistan is unacceptable.”
Sharif reiterated his call to the Afghan government to devise a concrete strategy, saying that Pakistan was ready for dialogue.
“But the policy of talks and allowing TTP to operate against Pakistan can’t go simultaneously,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pakistani military’s spokesman Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry said on Friday that Pakistan has consistently worked towards establishing peace in Afghanistan, however, despite these efforts, terrorist activities originating from Afghan soil continue to pose a threat to Pakistan.
He emphasised that the roots of terrorism are often traced back to Afghanistan, and Pakistan remains determined to dismantle terrorist networks without compromise.
Pakistani officials have repeatedly claimed that attacks in the country are carried out from Afghanistan. However, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has denied the allegations saying that Afghanistan is not responsible for Pakistan’s “security failure.”
The latest remarks by Pakistani officials come three days after the country carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Paktika province, killing at least 46 people.
The Defense Ministry of the Islamic Emirate said that the strikes were against the international principles, which will not be left unanswered.
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UNESCO: 2.4 million Afghan girls denied education since 2021
UNESCO estimates that the ban could force around 600,000 Afghan women out of the workforce by 2066 and cause $9.6 billion in lost income. It could also increase the risk of early marriage.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said on Tuesday around 2.4 million Afghan girls have been denied secondary education since the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) returned to power in 2021.
In a statement on Tuesday, UNESCO said Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls and women are officially barred from secondary and higher education.
The organization warned that the restrictions could increase poverty, reduce employment opportunities and cause long-term damage to Afghanistan’s future.
UNESCO estimates that the ban could force around 600,000 Afghan women out of the workforce by 2066 and cause $9.6 billion in lost income. It could also increase the risk of early marriage.
Girls’ secondary schools were closed in March 2022, followed by a ban on women attending universities in December of the same year. The IEA initially described the restrictions as temporary, but they remain in place.
UNESCO also warned that the restrictions could worsen Afghanistan’s shortage of female teachers. It estimates the country could face a shortage of more than 11,000 qualified female teachers by 2030.
The organization said more than 90% of 10-year-old children in Afghanistan cannot read a simple text, while the national literacy rate is around 37%.
Nearly half of the country’s schools also lack adequate access to water, sanitation or heating, UNESCO said.
According to the report, around three million people returned to Afghanistan in 2025, putting further pressure on the education system. Since 2021, earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters have also forced around 1,000 schools to close.
Russia’s Power Machines Company is interested in investing in the rehabilitation and modernization of Afghanistan’s power plants, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) said on Tuesday.
DABS Chief Executive Officer Abdul Haq Hamkar discussed the potential investment with technical officials from Power Machines, with talks focusing on rehabilitating existing power plants, modernizing equipment and expanding power-generation capacity.
According to DABS, Hamkar said the company would cooperate in facilitating preliminary technical assessments of Afghanistan’s power plants and in exploring investment opportunities in the sector.
Denis Rudakov, head of Power Machines’ commercial department, said the Russian company plans to conduct preliminary technical assessments of existing power plants in Afghanistan.
Based on the findings, Power Machines will prepare proposals for rehabilitating facilities, modernizing equipment and increasing electricity-generation capacity, DABS said.
Afghanistan currently has several operational power plants, while efforts are underway to increase their generation capacity and upgrade their equipment, according to DABS.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), on Tuesday denied that IEA authorities detained Mahmood Shah Habibi, an Afghan-American businessman the US claims disappeared in Kabul four years ago.
“We have no information about Mahmood Shah Habibi. He is not with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. If he were, this issue would have been resolved long ago,” Mujahid said.
His remarks came a day after the FBI marked the fourth anniversary of Habibi’s disappearance and renewed its appeal for information about his whereabouts.
According to the FBI, Habibi disappeared near his home in Kabul on August 10, 2022. At the time, he was working as a consultant for Asia Consultancy Group, a Kabul-based telecommunications company. He had previously served as Afghanistan’s director of civil aviation.
The FBI has alleged that Habibi was detained by the IEA’s General Directorate of Intelligence.
The FBI has continued its investigation and in 2025 released a missing-persons poster for Habibi. The U.S. State Department has also offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his location, recovery and return.
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