Afghan opium cultivation quadruples despite Taliban ban, UN says
The area under poppy rose to 43,000 hectares and opium output jumped fivefold to 1,500 tonnes, as farmers in Badakhshan say they have no alternative.
Topic · Region
Pakistan and Afghanistan
A 2,600-kilometre border, the Taliban in Kabul, and the terrorists Pakistan says they shelter.
The essentials
Pakistan and Afghanistan share a border of about 2,600 kilometres, the Durand Line drawn in 1893, which Pakistan has fenced. When the Afghan Taliban took Kabul in August 2021, Islamabad hoped for a friendly neighbour. Instead terrorist attacks inside Pakistan rose, and Pakistan says the TTP and Baloch separatist groups operate from Afghan soil with the regime’s knowledge.
Since 2023 Pakistan has sent hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghans home. In October 2025 the two sides fought their worst border clashes in years before a ceasefire mediated by Qatar and Türkiye, and crossings such as Torkham and Chaman have been shut for long stretches. Strikes and cross-border fire have continued through 2026.
- Border
- About 2,600 km, the Durand Line
- In Kabul
- The Taliban, since August 2021
- Main crossings
- Torkham and Chaman
- Pakistan’s demand
- Action against the TTP on Afghan soil
The latest
October 2026
-
29 Oct
MILITARY
Pakistan killed 2,410 terrorists in nine months, interior ministry tells National Assembly
The ministry also said 255,139 identity cards obtained by Afghans through fraud had been cancelled this year, and that X removed just 7.4% of flagged content.
-
28 Oct
MILITARY
Pakistan says it destroyed seven Afghan Taliban posts, dismisses Kabul’s Angoor Adda claims as ‘fabricated’
The information ministry said Taliban forces fired first on civilians in South Waziristan, as KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi warned Kabul to “have no illusions”.
-
28 Oct
MILITARY
Pakistan destroys Afghan Taliban posts after cross-border fire kills civilian in South Waziristan
One civilian was killed and five members of a family wounded in Angoor Adda before the army struck back, security sources said.
-
25 Oct
MILITARY
Six terrorists killed, two soldiers martyred in Dera Ismail Khan operation, says ISPR
Security forces killed six terrorists in an intelligence-based operation in DI Khan's Zarkani area, ISPR said, while Naik Ghulam Murtaza and Sepoy Taseer Ahmed were martyred.
-
25 Oct
ANALYSIS
Why Afghanistan is called a global hub of terrorism
UN monitors, US intelligence and Russia all warn of terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan, as Pakistan becomes the country most affected by terrorism.
-
21 Oct
INTERNATIONAL
At SCO in Dushanbe, Ishaq Dar presses Taliban on terrorism and offers CPEC to the bloc
Pakistan has “only one expectation” of Kabul, Dar told the SCO Council of Heads of Government, as he pushed for an SCO development bank and set out Islamabad’s plans for its chairmanship and the 2027 summit.
-
5 Oct
NEWSROOM
ICC unseals four arrest warrants against Taliban leaders
The International Criminal Court on 5 October 2026 unsealed four arrest warrants in the Afghanistan situation against senior Taliban figures, including Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani.
September 2026
-
24 Sep
NEWSROOM
Pakistan strikes 10 sites in Afghanistan after drone incursion
Pakistan strikes 10 sites in Afghanistan after drone incursion. "Any violation of Pakistan's sovereignty will be met with an immediate and decisive response." Information Minister Attaullah Tarar
-
19 Sep
NEWSROOM
Pakistan to Taliban: stop sponsoring terrorism or face the consequences
Pakistan has condemned the deadly Kohat mosque attack and called on the Afghan Taliban to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries, recruitment networks, and infrastructure operating from Afghanistan. "Condemnation must be matched by concrete action," the Ministry of Information said, demanding credible and verifiable action.
-
19 Sep
NEWSROOM
Secret meetings, millions in funding: Sources detail RAW-Taliban nexus targeting Pakistan
Secret meetings in Kandahar, millions of dollars in funding, weapons transfers and shared fighters: Pakistani intelligence sources detail what they describe as a network involving RAW, Afghanistan’s GDI, the BLA, TTP and AQIS, with financing and operational cooperation targeting Pakistan.
July 2026
-
10 Jul
NEWSROOM
Afghan Taliban minister says Indians and Afghans share the same DNA
Afghan Taliban Agriculture Minister Mawlawi Ataullah Omari has said Indians and Afghans "share the same DNA", describing India as feeling "like our own country" during a visit to New Delhi aimed at strengthening trade and economic cooperation.
-
6 Jul
NEWSROOM
Pakistan army holds Afghan Taliban directly responsible for Indian terror proxies, warns on water treaty and Kashmir
Pakistan's Corps Commanders' Conference held the Afghan Taliban directly responsible for Indian-sponsored terror groups attacking Pakistan from Afghan soil. Reaffirmed Operation Ghazab-lil-Haq, warned on Indus Waters Treaty and declared Kashmir Pakistan's jugular vein. Field Marshal Munir presides.
-
1 Jul
NEWSROOM
Pakistan downs four Taliban drones over Balochistan
The ISPR says Pakistan successfully intercepted four drones launched by the Afghan Taliban into Balochistan, reaffirming the country's readiness to respond decisively to any threat to its sovereignty.
June 2026
-
28 Jun
NEWSROOM
Three terrorists killed as Karachi Rangers camp attack foiled, ISPR
ISPR says three terrorists were killed and one injured Afghan national was captured after a Karachi Rangers camp attack in which three soldiers were martyred.
- 1 Jun
May 2026
-
28 May
NEWSROOM
EU Parliament votes to sanction Taliban leaders
The EU Parliament adopted a resolution calling for expanded sanctions against Taliban leaders, condemning gender apartheid and slavery under the Taliban's Criminal Procedure Code, and regretting the EU's decision to invite the Taliban to Brussels. 480 votes in favour, 5 against.
-
13 May
EDITORIAL
Pakistan’s diplomatic prowess has made it a target
Pakistan’s growing diplomatic relevance has triggered a sharper narrative war, with foreign criticism, hostile media framing and domestic security incidents being used to cast Islamabad as unstable just as it re-enters the centre of regional diplomacy.
-
6 May
NEWSROOM
U.S. shuts Peshawar consulate over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa security concerns
The United States has announced the phased closure of its Consulate General in Peshawar, with diplomatic engagement for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa now shifting to the US Embassy in Islamabad. The decision does not end US engagement with Pakistan, but it places renewed focus on KP’s security situation and the provincial government’s ability to reassure foreign missions.
-
6 May
EDITORIAL
Selective outrage
From South Waziristan to Balochistan and Punjab, Pakistan continues to confront terrorist violence that targets security forces and civilians alike. Yet while the world speaks loudly for other states' victims, Pakistani suffering too often receives silence, indifference, or selective concern.
