ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Thursday said the Afghan Taliban were showing `receptivity` to Pakistan`s concerns over sanctuaries of the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan, signaling cautious optimism about progress on one of the most sensitive issues straining bilateral ties between the two countries.

`One of the stumbling blocks is the sanctuaries enjoyed by terrorists there. There is an active engagement going on between the two sides, and Afghan side is showing receptivity to our con-cerns communicated to them in this regard,` Foreign Office spokesman Shafgat Ali Khan told reporters at a weekly briefing.The presence of TTP militants in Afghanistan has long been a point of contention between Islamabad and the Taliban administration. Since the Taliban`s return to power in Kabul in 2021, Pakistan has accused the group of sheltering thousands of TTP fighters, who have escalated attacks onPakistani security forces, particularly in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces.

The violence intensified after a fragile ceasefire between Pakistan and the TTP collapsed in November 2022. Pakistani officials estimate that between 3,000 and 4,000 TTP fighters operate fromwithin Afghanistan,emboldened by what Islamabad sees as ideological affinity and inaction from the Afghan Taliban. Kabul has consistently denied providing safe havens.

Tensions between the two countries have remained high in recent years, with Pakistan warning that continued cross-border militancy could derail ties. However, relations began to improve following Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar`s visit to Kabul on April 19, during which both sides discussed trade, border management and security cooperation. That visit led to what officials described as a `tactical thaw` encouragedbyBeijing.

The resumption of high-level engagements, including the upgrade of diplomatic representation from chargé d`affaires to ambassador level, has signaled a renewed willingness to address long-standing grievances.

Interior Minister Mohsin Nagvi`s visit to Kabul on Sunday, accompanied by Pakistan`s special envoy for Afghanistan, Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq, further built on that momentum.

Mr Naqvi held talks with Afghan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, focusing on cross-border security, the threat posed by the TTP, and efforts to curb drug trafficking and manage refugee repatriation.

According to Pakistani officials, the Taliban administration agreed in principle to a `phased process` to disarm and relocate TTP fighters away from the border a step seen as a rare acknowledgment of the issue.

`The technical discussions are ongoing. The two sides are positively engaged, and cooperation in security area has to be seen in thebroader ambit of overall positivity and improvement of relations between the two brotherly neighboring countries,` Mr Khan said.

`There have been issues, or multiple issues, ranging from logistics, customs, procedure etc. impacting trade. So all of these are being addressed, and you can see the momentum it is generating. So, there is good progress on the trade, Mr Khan said.

Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is expected to visit Islamabad in the coming weeks for follow-up discussions.

Dar-Rubio meeting The FO spokesman also said that Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is scheduled to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington today (Friday) for wide-ranging talks.

`I can confirm that the meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, and the entire range of issues on the bilateral agenda, as well as important regional and global issues including the situation in the Middle East, and Iran will be discussed,` Mr Khan said.

`Exchange of views will also take place on the Pakistan-India question, for which we remain grateful for the role played by the US in de-escalation of tensions leading to ceasefire,` he added.

Mr Dar is on an official visit to US for participating in events of Pakistan`s UN Security Council Presidency in New York, as well as for bilateral engagements with US in Washington.The Pakistan-India dispute returned to global focus after a brief but intense military clash in May, triggered by an April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Indian-occupied Kashmir, that killed 26 people.

India blamed Pakistan-based militants and launched strikes on May 7 against alleged terrorist camps in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir.

Pakistan responded with Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos, targeting Indian military sites in the fiercest exchange since1971.

Fearing escalation, the US intervened diplomatically, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance mediating between both sides. A ceasefire was announced on May 10, which Islamabad credits to US efforts.

`Our position is that the issues have to be resolved through diplomacy and peaceful means, and we remain committed to it,` Mr Khan said.

`We engage with all countries in good faith, and we continue to invite India to come to the negotiating table and move towards a peaceful settlement of disputes. But the key question is for India to decide what kind of policy it wants to adopt `As far as Pakistan is concerned, our position is very clear,` he added.

`We have acknowledged and thanked the US intervention and the role it played in the de-escalation of the recent crisis. But again, it is for India to decide the route it wants to take, the policy it wants to adopt,` the FO spokesman said.