Taliban defense minister says no global definition of ‘terrorist,’ rejects Pakistan’s terms

Yaqub Mujahid, the Taliban’s defense minister, has rejected Pakistan’s labeling of its opponents as terrorists, following a ceasefire agreement between the two sides. He said there is still no universally accepted definition of the term “terrorist.”

“Each country can describe its opposition as terrorism,” Mujahid said in an interview with Al Jazeera. “There is no definitive or internationally agreed-upon definition of the term. We consider this an internal matter. We do not support any armed group that poses a threat to Pakistan. We believe problems should be solved through dialogue. We are not seeking war with Pakistan.”

Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban administration of sheltering militant groups, including Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and has launched cross-border strikes against what it says are TTP fighters inside Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s defense minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, said the recent escalation was a direct result of militant activity within Afghan territory.

“There was direct conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan even last week,” Mr. Asif said. “But last night we reached the conclusion that this cycle of terrorism must end, because its continuation harms both countries and threatens the broader region.”

Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s former special envoy for Afghanistan, also said in an interview with Amu TV that the Taliban had facilitated operations for anti-Pakistan groups.

“They are guests of the Afghan Taliban,” he said, referring to members of the TTP “They chose to side with them, and now they are causing trouble for us. We have raised this issue with the Taliban regime repeatedly.”

Mujahid, meanwhile, rejected Islamabad’s accusations that India was involved in the latest border clashes, calling the claims “baseless.”

Saudi Arabia, in a statement welcoming the ceasefire, explicitly referred to the “border” between the two countries — a term charged with diplomatic weight. Earlier, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry released a statement supporting the same ceasefire, though it notably removed the reference to a “border” in its final version.

Analysts believe the ceasefire was reached under pressure from Qatar and Turkey. However, given the depth of the disagreement between the two sides — particularly over the presence of TTP fighters in Afghanistan — experts say the truce may prove short-lived.