Pakistani authorities closed major roads leading to Islamabad and suspended mobile internet services to prevent a protest march by the far-right religious group Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).
The TLP, a far-right extremist group, had planned a march in the capital to protest the killings in Gaza, despite a ceasefire in force in the region. In response, the Ministry of Interior deployed shipping containers to block key routes and ordered the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to shut down mobile internet services in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
According to the letter to the PTA, which was approved by Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi, mobile internet service in the twin cities will remain suspended indefinitely from 12 noon last night, PTI reported.
Six security personnel and six militants were killed in a deadly attack on a paramilitary base in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday. The attack began when a suicide bomber drove an explosives-laden vehicle into the compound's boundary wall in the city of Bannu, according to a report by The Associated Press.
Meanwhile, Taliban officials are investigating an explosion that occurred in Kabul late Thursday, the government's chief spokesman said. The explosion occurred just before 10 p.m. local time near Abdul Haq Square, an area close to several government ministries and the national intelligence agency. Security forces quickly cordoned off the site.
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Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid stated that there have been no reports of casualties or property damage so far. “An explosion was heard in the city of Kabul,” he posted on
This comes at a time when Afghanistan's Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is in New Delhi on a week-long visit to India.
TTP leader Noor Wali Mehsud dead?
CNN-News18 reported having a voice message from Noor Wali Mehsud confirming that he is alive and currently in Pakistan, although his son was killed in the recent attack. Since Mehsud is a high-value Pakistani terrorist, the attack appears to have been a covert, cross-border operation.
The operation could have been carried out by Pakistan itself or by a third party, likely with support from key intelligence agencies and possible on-the-ground assistance from Islamabad, the report said.
Muttaqi's visit to India underlines the Taliban government's efforts to gain international recognition and underlines India's strategic move to take on its regional rivals, Pakistan and China, which are deeply involved in Afghanistan.
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MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal welcomed Muttaqi in a post on X on Thursday and said: “We look forward to engaging with him on bilateral relations and regional issues.”
Indian Foreign Minister Vikram Misri met Muttaqi in Dubai in January. It was followed by telephone conversations between Muttaqi and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the Indian foreign minister. India's Special Envoy to Afghanistan visited Kabul in April to discuss political and trade ties.
Who is Noor Wali Mahsud?
Born on June 26, 1978 in Machikhel Zafarkhel, a sub-clan of the Mehsud tribe, Wali hails from Sararogha sub-district in the South Waziristan Agency (SWA). He received his religious education in Faisalabad and Karachi.
After the September 11 attacks and the US intervention in Afghanistan, Wali returned to the country as part of Maulana Mirajuddin's group of Islamic fighters who resisted the US invasion by joining the TTP in 2003, the Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) said.
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In 2017, Wali wrote a 690-page book titled 'Inqilab-e-Mehsud, South Waziristan: Firangi Raj se Amreeki Samraj Tak' ('Mehsud Revolution, South Waziristan: from British Raj to American Imperialism').
Wali viewed the US war in Afghanistan and the fall of the Islamic Emirate as part of a broader, deliberate strategy to impose a “New World Order” in the region. He described it as a 'crusade' and argued that this agenda had started with the French Revolution in 1789.
In his book, he also claimed responsibility for the 2007 targeted killing of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The book noted: “She (Benazir) reportedly planned to work with the US against the Mujahedin if returned to power.”
In 2022, the United States imposed sanctions on Noor Wali Mehsud, the leader of the banned TTP, officially labeling him a global terrorist.
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“Noor Wali, also known as Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, was appointed leader of TTP in June 2018 following the death of former TTP leader Mullah Fazlullah,” a US State Department statement said.
He is one of twelve individuals designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) who represent leadership roles in previously sanctioned groups such as the TTP, Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, ISIS, ISIS Philippines, ISIS West Africa and an Al Qaeda-affiliated faction operating in Syria is active.
India-Afghanistan: Will New Delhi recognize the 'Taliban government'?
When the Taliban took control of Kabul four years ago, Indian security experts worried the shift would strengthen Pakistan, India's archrival.
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Despite its concerns, New Delhi maintained consistent contacts with the Taliban and established a technical mission in Kabul in 2022, a year after the group returned to power, to focus on humanitarian assistance and development efforts. India also pursued backchannel diplomacy and participated in regional forums, which helped strengthen ties between the two sides this year.
India has long been home to tens of thousands of Afghans, including students and entrepreneurs, many of whom fled after the Taliban's takeover. While the Afghan embassy in New Delhi was permanently closed in November 2023, the consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad remain open and offering limited services.
Gautam Mukhopadhaya, who served as India's ambassador to Kabul between 2010 and 2013, told The Associated Press that the India-Afghanistan engagement “may or may not lead to formal de jure recognition (of the Taliban government), although protocol gestures for the visit suggest the former.”
Mukhopadhaya said India “should not go the extra mile to legitimize the oppressive and unpopular Taliban rule internally” and “maintain some levers to enable positive changes internally for the benefit of all Afghans.”
With Afghanistan's relationship with Pakistan under strain due to issues such as refugee deportations and border disputes, India's renewed involvement is seen as a strategic move to counter Pakistani influence.
At the same time, India is also trying to curb China's growing footprint in Afghanistan by expanding its own diplomatic and infrastructural presence.
We must maintain a number of levers to enable positive change internally for the benefit of all Afghans.
The Taliban have held high-level talks with many countries and built diplomatic ties with countries including China and the United Arab Emirates. In July, Russia became the first country to recognize the Taliban government after removing the group from its list of banned organizations.
(With input from agencies)
