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Pakistan and EU flag Afghanistan risks; Islamabad adds 'exploitation of water' to talks
The joint language on Afghanistan was softer than in June, and Pakistan's Foreign Office raised water, a point that does not appear in either side's official statement.
Key points
- Pakistan and the EU held their 10th counterterrorism dialogue in Islamabad on Thursday.
- Both expressed concern at the security implications of the situation in Afghanistan.
- Pakistan's Foreign Office said talks covered states' exploitation of water resources.
Pakistan and the European Union voiced shared concern over Afghanistan at counterterrorism talks in Islamabad on Thursday, while Pakistan’s Foreign Office said the two sides had also discussed the exploitation of water resources by terrorists and by states.
The 10th round of the Pakistan-EU counterterrorism dialogue ended with both sides saying they “expressed concern at the security implications of the situation in Afghanistan”. That is milder than the joint communique after their strategic dialogue on 1 June, which spoke of “serious concern over the presence of terrorist entities in Afghanistan” and called on the de facto Afghan authorities to take “effective and verifiable action”.
The statements named no group. Pakistan has long said the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, its affiliates and Baloch separatist groups operating from Afghan soil are its main threats, and has pressed partners to lean on the Taliban.
The two sides discussed new threats including the misuse of cyberspace, information and energy resources, and exchanged notes on preventing violent extremism, terrorist financing and radicalisation. They agreed to work more closely in multilateral forums.
The Foreign Office’s post on X went further than the joint text, saying the talks also covered countering “terrorists’ and states’ exploitation of water resources”. It did not name any country, but the phrase echoes Islamabad’s long-running complaint against India, which has held the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance since April 2025. The point does not appear in either side’s official statement.
The talks came days after the EU’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Thomas Frellesen, visited Kabul from 12 to 14 October and urged the Taliban not to let Afghan territory be used against other countries.