Fazal ur Rehman, leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan, said that Islamabad has failed to capitalize on diplomatic opportunities to improve its relations with Afghanistan.

He urged the Pakistani military to revise its policies toward Kabul, stressing that the current approach lacks public support.

Speaking on the matter, Maulana Fazal ur Rehman stated: "From Zahir Shah to Ashraf Ghani, pro-India governments have ruled Afghanistan. Now, only the Islamic Emirate remains—a government we could have diplomatically turned into a pro-Pakistan ally. But we pushed them away too."

The JUI-F leader also strongly criticized the closure of commercial border crossings and the halting of freight trucks between Afghanistan and Pakistan, calling such policies detrimental to both countries.

He added: "My message to the Pakistani military is to admit that, in the current circumstances, they lack strong political backing. When an issue arises with India, the entire nation stands united. But if a conflict emerges with Afghanistan, national unity will be absent because the ground realities are different in both cases."

Fazal ur Rehman has repeatedly criticized what he calls "Pakistan's flawed policies toward Afghanistan."

Political analyst Mohammad Zalmai Afghan Yar commented: "Pakistan’s rulers have the opportunity to establish engagement based on mutual interests—even though policy control lies with the military. It is hoped they will accept a politically and economically stable Afghanistan as a neighbor."

Ongoing challenges such as the forced deportation of Afghan migrants, closure of trade crossings, and Pakistani officials’ allegations that militant groups are operating from Afghan territory have strained relations between the two nations.