ISLAMABAD:
The interim Afghan government admitted to Pakistani authorities in closed-door meetings that the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) project was a problem, but opposed Islamabad’s approach to dealing with the issue. , sources close to the matter told the Express PK Press Club on Sunday.
They said Pakistani and Afghan Taliban authorities had recently held in-depth discussions to find a way forward for their troubled relationship. At the heart of their tense relations was the question of the presence of the TTP, an illegal group, and its affiliates in Afghanistan.
Pakistan has long feared 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 an internal Pakistani problem, but behind closed doors, Kabul has admitted that their presence in Afghanistan is also a problem that needs to be resolved.
However, Taliban officials opposed Pakistan’s strategy to resolve the TTP issue. The sources explained that Taliban authorities believed that a tough approach to combating the TTP threat would not work. Kabul instead suggested a process of dialogue.
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 talks and given Kabul enough time to resolve the issue, but to no avail.
Pakistan also told Afghan authorities that the TTP’s demands were unacceptable. The Taliban, however, believe that parties often begin negotiations with maximalist positions but soften their position once the process advances. The Taliban cited the example of their laborious negotiations 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 must one day leave. The TTP and its affiliates, for their part, challenged the state mandate and sought to impose their own system in the country.
“There is no question of treating the TTP as a legitimate entity. Pakistan has driven these terrorist groups from its territory and will continue to seek their complete eradication,” said a Pakistani official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official said the Taliban must understand that hosting the TTP would harm their cause in the long term.
Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir, in a recent meeting in Peshawar, stressed the need for the Afghan Taliban government to tackle the TTP menace. He made it clear that Pakistan views Afghanistan as a “brotherly neighbor” and seeks to improve relations. He added, however, that improving bilateral relations depended on Kabul eliminating terrorist hideouts on its soil.
