Pakistan Taliban Rejects Islamabad's Afghan Territory Claim, India Links

Islamabad has repeatedly accused TTP of maintaining sanctuaries in Afghanistan and using them to plan or support attacks inside Pakistan.

21 Sep 2026, 09:01 · NDTV

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TTP denies using Afghan territory for attacks, claims bases inside Pakistan only
TTP operations extend to Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions
Group refutes Indian support allegations, says campaign is self-financed and organised

How does the TTP generate funds for its operations?
Islamabad:

Terror group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has rejected allegations by Islamabad that the militant group uses Afghan territory to launch attacks against Pakistani security forces, claiming that the organisation's military and administrative structures are based inside Pakistani territory.

In a recent interview in Pashto, Mufti Ghafran, a senior member of TTP's leadership, said Pakistan's government and military have failed to provide "concrete evidence" that TTP fighters were crossing from Afghanistan to conduct attacks. He claimed the group maintains organisational structures across at least 39 districts of Pakistan, with only a limited number located close to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

'Areas Of Ops Deep In Pak'

Ghafran argued that many areas where TTP claims to operate -- including parts of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa -- are hundreds of kilometres from the border. Referring to recent fighting in Hangu, he claimed that TTP operations had inflicted casualties on Pakistani soldiers and asserted that the area was not adjacent to Afghanistan.

He also questioned how fighters could routinely cross the heavily fortified border, saying Pakistan had installed fencing, surveillance posts, alarms, lighting systems, and landmines along sections of the frontier.

Islamabad has repeatedly accused TTP of maintaining sanctuaries in Afghanistan and using them to plan or support attacks inside Pakistan.

'No Link To India'

Ghafran further denied allegations that India supports TTP, describing such accusations as part of a longstanding Pakistani narrative against its opponents. He insisted that the group's campaign was independently financed and organised.

Asked why TTP activity has historically been concentrated in Pashtun-majority areas rather than Punjab, Ghafran said the organisation's operations had already extended to parts of Punjab, Sindh, Karachi, and Balochistan. He said TTP could expand its activities further if Pakistani military operations intensified.

On attacks against economic infrastructure, Ghafran said TTP had so far refrained from systematically targeting gas pipelines and other economic institutions because of what he described as its interpretation of Sharia. However, he suggested that attacks on such targets could be considered in the future if the group concluded that Pakistan was using revenues from natural resources against it.

'Refugees Killed In Pak Strikes'

Ghafran also addressed the possibility of negotiations with Islamabad, accusing Pakistan of repeatedly abandoning talks when they no longer served its interests. He said TTP remained open to what he termed meaningful negotiations conducted according to Islamic principles.

Regarding Pakistani claims that military strikes in Afghanistan target TTP members, Ghafran denied that members of the organisation had been killed in such strikes. He claimed victims included Afghan-based Pashtun refugees who had fled Pakistan during earlier military operations.

NDTV could not independently verify these claims.

'A Resistance'

On the disputed Durand Line, Ghafran said neither the Pashtun nor Baloch populations had accepted the frontier, describing it as an imposed arrangement. He also accused Pakistan's intelligence services of involvement in targeted killings—an allegation he offered without publicly presented evidence.

Ghafran portrayed TTP's armed campaign as resistance against the Pakistani military and said the group would continue fighting. He rejected accusations that TTP members were motivated primarily by financial incentives, while repeating allegations concerning Pakistan's past cooperation with the United States.

His remarks come amid continued tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan over cross-border militancy, with Islamabad repeatedly demanding action against TTP elements it says are operating from Afghan soil. Kabul has denied allowing Afghan territory to be used against Pakistan, while the security situation along the border remains a major source of friction between the two countries.

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