'Kabul tea' proved costly for Pakistan, why did Ishaq Dar lash out at former ISI chief?

News Topical, Digital Desk : Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has admitted that a ostentatious cup of tea in the Afghan capital, Kabul, proved very costly in 2021. He warned that such mistakes should not be repeated.

Here, Dar referred to the 2021 visit of General Faiz Hameed, former head of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), to Kabul, just weeks after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US and allied forces.

'The highest price we paid for a cup of tea'

Speaking during the Parliament session on Wednesday (November 5, 2025), he said, "Pakistan has done so much work there that when we go there, we say that we have come here for a cup of tea, but we have had to pay the highest price for that one cup of tea. This was a big mistake and it should not be repeated."

Without naming Hameed, the Pakistani minister targeted the previous Imran Khan government and said, "That cup of tea reopened the entire border. 35,000-40,000 Taliban who had fled from here came back and the government of that time released the most dreaded criminals who had burnt Pakistani flags in Swat and martyred many people."

'Incidents increased in Pakistan after the Taliban came to power'

Dar also claimed that security incidents have increased in Pakistan since the Taliban came to power. He alleged that terrorist groups such as the TTP, Fitna al-Khawarij, and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) are operating from Afghan soil.

The Pakistani leader also claimed that he had six phone conversations with his Afghan counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi, during which Pakistan expressed its concerns and demanded that no terrorist activities be launched from Afghan territory.

However, Muttaqi dismissed the claims made by Pakistan's foreign minister, saying the claims "lacked accuracy".

Dar expressed disappointment over the cross-border attacks but hoped that the upcoming talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan, scheduled to be held in Istanbul on November 6, would help advance cooperation on security issues.

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