Pakistan appears to have altered its public stance toward the Afghan Taliban following a series of unprovoked cross‑border attacks on the night of October 11, according to media reports. 
Islamabad, which had initially backed the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 and worked actively to secure the new administration’s international standing, has grown increasingly alarmed by the use of Afghan territory by Tehreek‑e‑Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and allied groups.

When the Taliban seized Kabul in 2021, Pakistan was one of the most prominent regional supporters of the interim Afghan administration. Islamabad advocated close engagement with the new rulers and invested diplomatic effort in gaining international recognition for the Kabul authorities. 
Pakistan’s principal concern from the outset, however, was that the TTP and related outfits might exploit Afghan soil to launch attacks against Pakistani targets, a fear compounded by suspicions that elements of the previous Karzai and Ghani administrations had at times enabled such groups.

Officials say it took only a few months for Pakistan to conclude that the Afghan Taliban and the TTP were, effectively, two sides of the same coin. That assessment hardened after the October 11 night raids, when Taliban forces carried out multiple attacks on Pakistani outposts, actions Islamabad describes as unprovoked. Those strikes prompted a decisive change in Pakistan’s Afghan policy, government sources and military statements indicate.

Also Read: TTP Presents Two Key Demands to Khyber Peace Jirga During Tirah Meeting

The Pakistani military’s media wing has released operational details of the Afghan‑based attacks and Islamabad’s subsequent responses. In a late‑night readout, the Foreign Office signalled a notable rhetorical shift by deliberately avoiding the term “Afghan interim administration” and instead referring to Kabul’s rulers as the “Taliban government”, a move interpreted as questioning the regime’s legal status.

The Foreign Office’s statement went further, outlining Islamabad’s expectations of Kabul. Pakistan reiterated its desire for “a peaceful, stable, friendly, inclusive, regionally connected and prosperous Afghanistan,” and said it expects the Taliban government to act responsibly, honor its commitments and play a constructive role in uprooting terrorism from Afghan soil.

“We also hope that one day the Afghan people will be free and a truly representative government will be established,” the statement said.

Separately, government sources told media reports that Pakistan’s change in posture was a carefully considered policy decision. Those sources said Islamabad will withhold support for the Taliban government until the latter corrects its course and addresses Pakistan’s substantive security concerns.

Pakistan has reportedly also adopted new rules of engagement for cross‑border incidents: any further terrorist attacks emanating from Afghan territory will be met with immediate responses inside Afghanistan, officials said.