ISLAMABAD:
The Afghan interim government admitted to Pakistani authorities in closed-door meetings that the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was a problem, but objected to Islamabad’s approach in addressing the issue, sources familiar with the matter told The Express. PAkGazette on Sunday.
They said Pakistani authorities and the Afghan Taliban held extensive talks recently to find a way forward for their troubled relationship. At the center of their tense ties was the issue of the presence of the outlawed TTP and its affiliates in Afghanistan.
Pakistan has long been concerned that terrorist hideouts across the border have given rise to terror attacks. Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban government in Kabul to neutralize the threat.
Publicly, Taliban-controlled Afghanistan insists that the TTP is Pakistan’s internal problem, but behind closed doors, Kabul admitted that its presence in Afghanistan was also a problem that needed a solution.
However, Taliban officials opposed Pakistan’s strategy to address the TTP issue. Sources explained that Taliban authorities were of the view that a hardline approach to dealing with the TTP threat would not work. Instead, Kabul suggested a dialogue process.
The Taliban government also warned Pakistan that intimidation and threatening statements would be counterproductive. But Pakistan made it clear to the Taliban that they had exhausted the option of holding talks and had given enough time to Kabul to resolve the issue, but to no avail.
Pakistan also told Afghan authorities that the TTP’s demands were unacceptable. The Taliban, however, felt that the parties often start talks with maximalist positions but soften their stance once the process progresses. The Taliban cited the example of their thorough talks with the United States in Doha.
Pakistani officials insisted there was no comparison between the two situations. The United States was an occupying force and one day it had to leave. The TTP and its affiliates, on the other hand, had been challenging the state’s mandate and seeking the imposition of their own system in the country.
“This is not about treating the TTP as a legitimate entity. Pakistan expelled these terrorist groups from its territory and will continue to seek their total eradication,” stressed a Pakistani official, who requested anonymity. The official said the Taliban had to realize that hosting the TTP would hurt their cause in the long run.
Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir, in a recent meeting in Peshawar, stressed the need for the Afghan Taliban government to address the TTP threat. He made it clear that Pakistan considers Afghanistan as a “brotherly neighbor” and seeks to improve relations. However, he added that improving the bilateral relationship depended on Kabul eliminating terrorist hideouts from its territory.
