The security threat from terrorist groups, especially TTP but also ISIS-K residing in Afghanistan, has been increasing, which made 2025 the deadliest year in a decade for Pakistan in terms of casualties from such violence. The surge in cross-border terror attacks from Afghan soil since the Taliban returned to power has been confirmed by successive reports of the UN Security Council's sanctions monitoring team.
Officials from Pakistan and Afghanistan have met in Istanbul for talks on how to ensure a recent ceasefire deal between the two countries holds, with the Pakistani defence minister warning of open war should the efforts fail. The discussions, which began on Saturday and are expected to continue on Sunday, come just days after a truce was brokered in Doha by Qatar and Turkiye to end deadly clashes between the neighbours.