Islamabad – Pakistan’s Defence and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has characterized the 2021 trip by former ISI chief General Faiz Hameed to Kabul as a "costly cup of tea," warning the diplomatic gesture carried severe security repercussions for Pakistan. Speaking in a Senate session on Wednesday, Dar said the visit, which came on the heels of the Taliban takeover, should inform the country’s future foreign-policy choices.

Dar connected that 2021 meeting with the movement of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters and other militants from Afghan soil into Pakistan, blaming the surge in attacks on what he called a misjudgment. Without explicitly naming General Hameed, he criticized the previous administration, suggesting its actions permitted thousands of Taliban combatants and freed militants to cross back into Pakistan.

He evoked Pakistan’s long record of outreach, saying that informal diplomacy — "we are here for a cup of tea" — had unexpected costs. "May Allah ease everyone's difficulties, but that cup of tea cost us the most," Dar remarked, contending the visit effectively loosened controls at the border and facilitated the return of fighters implicated in earlier strikes against Pakistan.

Dar also highlighted continuing worries over cross-border attacks and said Islamabad had repeatedly sought direct talks with Afghan authorities. He claimed he had phoned his Afghan counterpart, Amir Khan Muttaqi, six times to press for assurances that Afghan territory would not be used to launch terrorism. Afghan officials, however, have pushed back, describing the exchanges as coordinated, routine communications aimed at mutual understanding.

The comments arrive ahead of scheduled security discussions in Istanbul on November 6, intended to advance cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The meetings follow a recent round of cross-border airstrikes and retaliatory actions that raised tensions between the neighbours.

Dar has reiterated criticism of the 2021 Kabul visit on multiple occasions, arguing that Pakistan continues to bear the cost of what he sees as a symbolic but damaging diplomatic gesture. As Islamabad works to restore regional stability, officials stress that lessons from the "cup of tea" episode must guide future engagement with Afghanistan.

For Pakistan’s leaders, Dar said, the episode is a reminder that gestures of goodwill must be weighed against security risks — a balancing act that will shape policy in the weeks and months ahead.