ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s special envoy on Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq urged rulers in Kabul on Sunday to rid their soil of “terrorists,” saying the move would inspire confidence in its neighbors to engage with the country.

Sadiq, who is Pakistan’s special representative to Afghanistan, was part of a high-level meeting hosted by Iran in Tehran to discuss issues related to Afghanistan. The meeting featured Afghan affairs representatives from Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, China and Russia, Iranian state news agency IRNA said.

Pakistan blames a surge in attacks on its soil on militants it says are based in Afghanistan, a charge Kabul denies. The allegations have caused tensions between the neighbors to rise, resulting in deadly border clashes in October that saw dozens of soldiers killed on both sides.

“It is imperative that the current de facto rulers [in Afghanistan] take steps to ameliorate their suffering,” Sadiq wrote on social media platform X.

“And the foremost step in this regard would be to rid their soil indiscriminately of all types of terrorists.”