Pakistani political figures call for end to clashes with Taliban

Prominent Pakistani politicians Mahmoud Khan Achakzai, Mohsen Dawar and Khushhal Khan Kakar issued a joint statement demanding an immediate end to clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan.

Achakzai, president of the Pashtunkhwa Awami National Party and opposition leader in Pakistan's National Assembly; Dawar, president of the National Democratic Movement; and Kakar, president of the Pashtunkhwa Awami National Party and member of Pakistan's National Assembly, expressed concern over civilian casualties from Pakistani airstrikes in Afghan territory.

The signatories described the escalation of tensions as an "undeclared war" that has disproportionately affected Pashtuns living on both sides of the border. They noted that a large portion of the victims are Pashtuns and warned that without a change in Pakistan's policy toward Afghanistan, the likelihood of increased civilian casualties remains high.

The statement criticized the ignoring of Pakistan's parliament in decisions with serious consequences for the region. The politicians emphasized that extremism and violence, which have killed numerous civilians over decades, are not products of local society but have been strengthened since the 1980s through investments in infrastructures of violence.

They reiterated long-standing Pashtun demands to end Pakistan's role as a "frontline state," dismantle violent projects by major powers and foster peaceful, good-neighborly relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The signatories also voiced concern over escalating tensions in West Asia, criticizing attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran, and called for an immediate halt to clashes and attacks that threaten global peace.