The Afghan Taliban government has stepped up its implicit reassurances to Pakistan, days after border clashes between the two countries, amid efforts to salvage a fragile ceasefire.
A gathering of more than one thousand Afghan clerics from across the country, attended by Interim Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund and other senior officials in Kabul, issued a political and jurisprudential statement (fatwa) on Wednesday, pledging that Afghan territory would not be used to harm any country and vowing to confront those who interfere in conflicts beyond Afghanistan’s borders.
Hours after the fatwa was issued, Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi publicly reaffirmed his government’s commitment to its contents, in an attempt to contain tensions that escalated following attacks inside Pakistan attributed to militant groups, most notably the Pakistani Taliban (Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan).
In the latest such attack, six Pakistani soldiers were killed on Tuesday when a security post was targeted in the Kurram area near the Afghan border. Islamabad has blamed the escalation of violence on militants using Afghan territory to plan cross-border attacks on its security forces. Kabul, however, rejects these accusations, insisting it has no operational ties to the Pakistani Taliban.
The statement, which was issued at the conclusion of the “Seminar on Defending and Protecting the Islamic System”, provided religious cover for the Kabul government’s position. It affirmed that the emirate “has taken upon itself the obligation that the land of Afghanistan not be used against any country,” stressing that this commitment “is a duty incumbent upon all Muslims.” It warned that anyone who violates this obligation “is considered disobedient and will be subject to the necessary measures.”
While emphasizing that “defending the sovereignty of the country is a religious duty,” the clerics’ statement simultaneously underscored that “all Muslims must refrain from using the land of Afghanistan to harm any other country... and must uphold the commitment undertaken by the Islamic Emirate.”
The statement also affirmed a ban on Afghans traveling abroad to participate in any military activity, declaring that anyone who does so “is in violation and disobedience,” and obligating the authorities to prevent such actions and take appropriate measures.
In addition, it called on Islamic countries to “maintain friendly and positive relations within the framework of brotherhood, to benefit one another, and to avoid division, discord, and conflict”, language widely interpreted as an attempt to de-escalate tensions with Pakistan.
By combining the religious fatwa with official statements and a strong official presence at the clerics’ gathering - which included, alongside the prime minister, the Chief Justice, the Minister for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, the Minister of Higher Education, and other senior officials - the Afghan leadership appeared intent on delivering a dual religious and political pledge. This comes at a time of mounting pressure on Kabul to rein in cross-border militant groups and demonstrate its ability to maintain internal security.
Muttaqi’s remarks reinforced the scholars’ position, as he reiterated Afghanistan’s pledge not to allow its territory to be used against any country. In statements carried by official media, he said: “All of Afghanistan’s scholars have renewed their unified fatwa obligating the ummah to protect the Islamic system.”
He stressed that the leadership “has made a categorical commitment that Afghan soil will not be used to harm any individual or any state... This is the recommendation of the scholars, and obedience to it is obligatory for all Muslims.”
He added that the “scholars have made it clear to the ummah that if any Afghan violates the leadership’s instructions regarding military activities outside the country, the Islamic Emirate has the right to take action against him”, an implicit reference to Afghans joining the Pakistani Taliban.
The minister concluded by emphasizing the scholars’ call for “unity and the rejection of sedition,” saying that the Afghan nation “has, throughout its history, acted in accordance with the fatwas and guidance of its scholars, and will continue to do so today.”
Observers view the statements and the religious-political declaration as “part of a coordinated effort to contain Pakistani anger and to signal Kabul’s willingness to honor its security commitments,” following a series of attacks that reignited border confrontations between the two neighbors. The most recent incident involved an exchange of fire that killed four people last Friday.
