Pakistan weighs options to tackle cross-border TTP threat

Official emphasises that even Afghan Taliban government knows ‘our capability’

ISLAMABAD:

Despite simmering tensions with Afghanistan, Pakistan is confident that it can sort out the issue of banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), officials, who deal with the matter, believe.

“It is not the question of a contingency plan. It is the question of capability and we have that capability to tackle the problem,” a senior official told The Express Tribune here on Wednesday while requesting anonymity.

He was responding to a question on Pakistan’s possible options to deal with the TTP threat if the Afghan Taliban continue to provide shelter to the terror outfit.

The official, however, did not reveal the exact options, instead emphasised that even the Taliban government knew “our capability.”

His reference to capability suggests that Pakistan may be contemplating possible cross-border strikes. In March last year Pakistan did carry out limited cross-border strikes targeting the sanctuaries of the TTP. However, there had never been a public acknowledgement of that move.

Also read: Pakistan accuses Afghan Taliban of controlling TTP

The reported strikes led to the revival of peace talks between Pakistan and the TTP brokered by the Afghan Taliban. The process, however, could not produce the desired results as the TTP used the parleys to regroup and restart terrorist attacks.

Since then Pakistan has abandoned the path of peace process and made it clear to the Afghan Taliban that it would no longer seek talks with the TTP.

Instead Pakistan sent a clear message to Kabul to neutralise the TTP threat. Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar in a recent press conference revealed that in February this year the Taliban were given a clear option to choose between Pakistan and the TTP.

But it seems that the messaging could not convince the Afghan Taliban as the number of terrorist attacks carried out by the TTP and its affiliates has only gone up.

According to the PM, there had been a 60 per cent increase in the terrorist attacks since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. The number of suicide attacks has gone up by 500 per cent.

As tensions between the two countries deepen, Pakistani officials are now more vocal in criticising the Taliban regime.

While the prime minister issued a charge sheet against Kabul, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan Asif Durrani accused the Afghan Taliban for controlling the TTP.

In a recent interview he said Pakistan could not fathom the fact that the TTP was under the Afghan Taliban control. He also alleged that the TTP was allowed to cross the border and carry out attacks in Pakistan.

Durrani said the issue of TTP was hurting ties between the two countries and emphasised that the bilateral relationship was dependent on the resolution of this problem.