Pakistan and the United States have reaffirmed their commitment to expanding counterterrorism cooperation, pledging coordinated action against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Daesh (ISIS-K), al-Qaeda (AQ), and affiliated militant groups during the fourth US-Pakistan Counterterrorism Dialogue held in Washington.
The dialogue took place on August 4 and was co-chaired by US Coordinator for Counterterrorism Ambassador Gregory LoGerfo and Pakistan’s Special Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Nabeel Munir, according to a statement issued by Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Wednesday.
Both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to confronting terrorism and agreed to deepen collaboration to safeguard their citizens while promoting regional peace, security, and prosperity.
“The two governments committed to ensuring their counterterrorism collaboration to keep both of their nations safe and secure, and as part of an enduring vision of regional peace, prosperity, and stability,” the Foreign Office said.
The delegations also exchanged assessments of the evolving regional threat landscape and explored practical measures to enhance intelligence sharing, strengthen border security, and disrupt terrorist facilitation networks.
What security challenges did the dialogue address?
The discussions come amid a sustained rise in terrorist violence in Pakistan, particularly in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan following the return of the Afghan Taliban to power in Afghanistan in 2021.
Pakistan reiterated its longstanding position that terrorist groups continue to use Afghan territory to launch cross-border attacks and has repeatedly urged the Afghan interim government to take effective action against these organizations.
Islamabad has also maintained that India supports militant groups operating from Afghan territory to carry out attacks inside Pakistan, an allegation India has consistently denied.
Earlier this year, Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq in February in response to cross-border militant attacks after stating that Kabul had failed to prevent the use of its territory by terrorist organizations.
The latest dialogue reflects continued engagement between Islamabad and Washington on counterterrorism at a time when both countries face concerns over the activities of transnational extremist groups. The two sides agreed to maintain close coordination to address emerging threats and strengthen institutional cooperation in support of regional stability and international security.