Pakistan Deputy PM Criticizes Former ISI Chief's "Costly Cup of Tea" Visit for Escalating Taliban Security Crisis

Pakistan's Defense Minister Ishaq Dar has acknowledged that a symbolic "cup of tea" in Afghanistan's capital Kabul in 2021 ultimately became an expensive error for Pakistan. Dar, who also serves as Foreign Minister, warned against repeating such mistakes in the future.

Dar was specifically referring to former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief General Faiz Hameed's visit to Kabul in 2021, which occurred shortly after the Taliban seized control following US and allied forces withdrawal. According to the Minister, this visit facilitated Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) members' entry into Pakistan, who have since been responsible for numerous terror attacks within the country.

"Pakistan has done so much outreach that when we go there, we say that we are here for a cup of tea... May Allah ease everyone's difficulties, but that cup of tea cost us the most... It was a big mistake and should not be repeated," Dar stated during a Senate session on Wednesday.

Without directly naming Hameed, the Pakistani Minister criticized the previous Imran Khan administration, saying, "That cup of tea reopened the entire border... The 35,000-40,000 Taliban who had fled from here came back... And the government of that time released the most hardened criminals who had burnt the flags of Pakistan in Swat, and who had martyred many people."

Dar further asserted that security incidents in Pakistan have increased since the Taliban's rise to power, claiming that terrorist organizations including TTP, Fitna al-Khawarij, and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) are operating from Afghan territory.

The Minister claimed he had six phone conversations with his Afghan counterpart, Amir Khan Muttaqi, during which Pakistan expressed its concerns and demanded a halt to terrorist activities from Afghan soil.

However, Muttaqi disputed Dar's claims, stating they "lack accuracy." In a post on X, Hafiz Zia Ahmad, spokesperson for Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry, stated that discussions between the two parties occurred in an atmosphere of mutual understanding and coordination. He added that Dar initially indicated he wasn't fully briefed and would contact them again after obtaining complete information.

"The recent statements by the Pakistani Foreign Minister, in which he claimed that the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan, Mullah Amir Khan Muttaqi, had contacted him six times in one day, lack accuracy and realism. In fact, the first phone contact between the two sides was aimed at mutual understanding and coordination," Ahmad wrote.

While expressing disappointment over continuing cross-border attacks, Dar remained optimistic that upcoming Pakistan-Afghanistan talks in Istanbul on November 6 would enhance cooperation on security matters.

This isn't the first time Dar has expressed regret regarding Hameed's Kabul visit. Last year at a London press conference, he criticized the "three-star general who went to Kabul to have a cup of tea," adding, "The country is paying a price for that cup of tea in Afghanistan."

Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan intensified last month after Islamabad conducted airstrikes in Kabul, triggering retaliatory attacks from Afghanistan and resulting in severe border clashes.

Both neighboring countries subsequently agreed to a ceasefire during Qatar and Turkiye-mediated talks, which was later extended. The second round of discussions is scheduled for today in Istanbul, where "further modalities of the implementation will be discussed and decided," according to a statement from the Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister.