Taliban appeals to Pak for peace talks with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan

Pakistan sent a special envoy on a three-day mission to Kabul to make it clear that the interim administration must act swiftly to stop the TTP

Islamabad: The Afghan Taliban has renewed its call for peace talks between Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Pakistan as Islamabad’s efforts to persuade Kabul to take action against the terrorist group failed, reported The Express Tribune.

This week, Pakistan sent a special envoy on a three-day mission to Kabul to make it clear that the interim administration must act swiftly to stop the TTP. But after several talks, the Afghan Taliban told him that Pakistan should choose the route of peace rather than using force, as per The Express Tribune.
The Express Tribune is an internationally affiliated newspaper in Pakistan.

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During his visit, Ambassador Asad Durrani had meetings with the acting foreign minister and deputy prime minister of Afghanistan, Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi and Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, as per The Express Tribune.

Quoting official sources, familiar with the matter, The Express Tribune reported that the Afghan Taliban leadership was told clearly that Pakistan’s patience was wearing thin vis-a-vis the TTP.

In her weekly news briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said, The issue of terrorism, as I’ve said in the past, including in the last briefing, is an issue of serious concern to Pakistan.

And Pakistan has raised this issue with the Afghan authorities on multiple occasions and at every important engagement that takes place between Pakistan and the Afghan interim authorities. We have discussed the threat of terrorism emanating from the Afghan soil, she added when asked whether Ambassador Durrani took up the issue of cross-border terrorism with the Afghan authorities.

However, the Afghan Taliban administration is not prepared to follow that course, despite Pakistan’s insistence on taking action against TTP.

According to sources, cited by The Express Tribune, the deputy prime minister of Afghanistan advised the Pakistani ambassador to choose the “path of peace” rather than “use of force”. They said that it was obvious the Afghan Taliban had no interest in attacking the TTP. Instead, Kabul once rejected a request from Pakistan to begin peace negotiations with the TTP.

The TTP increased attacks and exploited the prior rounds of negotiations, leading Pakistan to give up on the peace effort.

Pakistan will no longer pursue negotiations with the TTP, the civil and military leadership determined. In any case, though, negotiations can only begin until the TTP gives up.

The deputy prime minister of Afghanistan asked Durrani that Pakistan should choose peace over war. He claimed that given Afghanistan’s bitter experiences of war, he would advise Pakistan to pursue a diplomatic solution instead.

As a Muslim nation, Afghanistan does not desire fighting or disturbance in Pakistan, according to Maulvi Kabir, who also believes that peace in Pakistan is in Afghanistan’s best interests. He also sees acts of violence in Pakistan as a loss for Afghanistan.

The Afghan Taliban government, he informed the Pakistani envoy, had a policy of refraining from meddling in the domestic affairs of other nations. He asserted that Afghanistan would not permit Pakistan or any other nation to exploit Afghan land against them.

According to the sources, after returning from Kabul and providing his assessment, Ambassador Durrani would update the administration. According to the reports, Pakistan is unlikely to accept the offer from the Afghan Taliban.

The sources also said, Pakistan would plan its strategy while considering the special envoy’s suggestions, The Express Tribune reported.