Pakistan disowns Taliban, calls it ‘non-legitimate’: How Islamabad’s policy U-turn exposes its loss of control

Taliban fighters ride on a police pickup truck during celebrations marking the fourth anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal and the start of Taliban rule in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Nava Jamshidi)

In a desperate and forced foreign policy shift, Pakistan has officially declared that the Taliban regime in Afghanistan is “not legitimate,” four years after it celebrated the group’s return to power in Kabul. The reversal, reported by CNN-News18, exposes the collapse of Islamabad’s long-standing strategy of using Afghanistan as a buffer against India and highlights its growing loss of control over the very militants it once nurtured.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office said in a formal communication that it was “deeply concerned” over what it described as “unwarranted aggression by the Afghan Taliban, terrorists and militants” along the Pak–Afghan border on the night of October 11–12. The statement alleged that the attacks were aimed at “destabilising the Pak-Afghan border” and violated the “spirit of peaceful and cooperative ties between two brotherly countries.”

Pakistan claimed it had exercised its right to self-defence by “effectively repulsing assaults all along the border,” inflicting “heavy losses on Taliban forces and affiliated Khwarjis” in men, material, and infrastructure. According to the statement, “the targeted structures were being used to plan and facilitate terrorist attacks against Pakistan.”

While insisting that “all possible measures were taken to prevent collateral damage and protect civilians,” Islamabad warned that “any further provocations would be met with an unwavering and befitting response.” The statement also claimed that Pakistan “values dialogue and diplomacy” but will “take all possible measures to safeguard its territory and people.”

Pakistan’s U-turn: From patron to adversary

Sources told CNN-News18 that the sudden disowning of the Taliban was not the result of a moral rethink, but a reaction to the Taliban’s growing defiance, cross-border attacks, and its refusal to rein in the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has intensified its campaign of violence inside Pakistan.

According to Indian intelligence inputs, as cited by CNN-News18, Islamabad’s leverage over the Taliban has evaporated. The Kandahari faction loyal to Hibatullah Akhundzada and the once Pakistan-friendly Haqqani Network are now pursuing their own agendas, ignoring Islamabad’s diktats. The shift marks the end of what was once called Pakistan’s “strategic depth doctrine,” a plan to control Kabul and use it as a counterweight against India.

In 2021, the presence of then DG ISI Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed at Kabul’s Serena Hotel had symbolised Pakistan’s perceived dominance over the new Taliban rulers. Four years later, that influence is all but gone.

Islamabad under fire at home

The disavowal of the Taliban is also being viewed as political posturing. Sources quoted by CNN-News18 said Pakistan’s declaration that the Taliban regime is “non-legitimate” is meant to deflect criticism from its own ruling elite, who continue to maintain quiet engagements with Taliban representatives despite rising border tensions.

Analysts believe that Islamabad’s current policy reflects confusion rather than conviction. “Pakistan’s establishment is trying to manage domestic anger over terrorism by blaming Kabul, even though the TTP problem is one of its own making,” one source said.

Pakistan’s warning to Kabul

Pakistan’s Foreign Office also rejected recent remarks made by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi during his visit to India, calling them “baseless assertions” aimed at “diverting attention from the presence of terrorist elements in Afghanistan.” Islamabad said the Taliban “cannot absolve itself of its responsibilities towards regional peace and stability,” adding that the “continued presence of terrorist elements on Afghan soil” has been confirmed in UN Monitoring Team reports.

It urged Kabul to “honour its commitment of not allowing its territory to be used for terrorism against other countries” and to “take concrete and verifiable actions” against such groups.

Humanitarian language, hardline policy

In a bid to soften the tone of its statement, Islamabad claimed that it had “generously hosted around four million Afghans for more than four decades.” Yet, it also announced that it would now “take all actions to regulate the presence of Afghan nationals on its territory” under what it called “international norms.”

Pakistan concluded by saying it remains “desirous of a peaceful, stable, friendly, inclusive, regionally connected, and prosperous Afghanistan,” and expressed hope that “one day, the Afghan people would be emancipated and governed by a true representative government.”