Taliban chief’s top aide arriving tomorrow

PESHAWAR/ ISLAMABAD:

The Afghan interim government is striving to mend ties with Pakistan concerning the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as a close aide of the Afghan Taliban’s supreme leader prepares for critical discussions with authorities in Islamabad on Wednesday.

A Taliban delegation, led by Kandahar Governor Mullah Sherin Akhund, will journey to Pakistan on January 3 (tomorrow) in a renewed effort to ease the escalating tensions between the two neighboring countries.

The delegation will include members of the Afghan intelligence, the General Directorate of Information (GDI), as well as representatives from their ministries of defense and information. This meeting marks the first high-level contact between the two nations in months.

Pakistan essentially halted high-level communications with the Afghan Taliban government due to Kabul’s failure to curb the TTP and its affiliates.

In recent months, Pakistan has vocally criticised the TTP’s use of Afghan soil for launching cross-border terrorist attacks. Islamabad has now publicly accused the Kabul regime of harbouring enemies of Pakistan.

Despite repeated calls to neutralise the TTP threat, terrorist attacks have persisted from across the border. On the final day of 2023, Pakistan thwarted a terrorist attempt to infiltrate and responded to cross-border firing.

Mullah Akhund is scheduled to meet senior Pakistani officials, including Pakistan’s Special Representative on Afghanistan Ambassador Asif Durrani. The primary focus of the discussions will revolve around addressing the banned TTP, according to sources.

The two sides will also discuss border fencing, visa-free transit at the Chaman border, handing over TTP members, or relocating them away from border areas, and most importantly, the possibility of reviving talks between Pakistan and the TTP.

Talks would commence initially at the committees’ level and later proceed to ministry levels. These discussions are likely to be followed by a second round in Kabul next week.

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The delegation will also convey Taliban chief Mullah Habitullah Akhundzada’s message to Islamabad on multiple issues and set an agenda for JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s visit to Afghanistan.

A senior Pakistani official informed The Express Tribune on Monday that Pakistan has taken a firm stance, declaring no intention to engage with the terrorist group. “Our demand is unequivocal. The Afghan Taliban must prevent the TTP from launching attacks against Pakistan,” the official emphasised.

It is believed that the senior aide of the Afghan Taliban’s supreme leader aims to persuade Pakistan about the Kabul regime’s earnestness in tackling the problem.

The Afghan Taliban government is hesitant to take action against the TTP, citing various reasons.

Instead, Kabul has been urging Pakistan to negotiate with the terrorist outfit.

Officials here are not overly optimistic about Mullah Akhund’s visit. “Let’s await the outcomes of the talks. It’s premature to anticipate if this visit will yield any breakthrough,” the official remarked.

Observers perceive that the Taliban government faces pressure to meet Pakistan’s expectations, given the country’s significance for its international recognition. Amid worsening relations, Pakistan recently shifted its policy away from advocating for the Taliban government at international forums.

Last month, Pakistan informed the United Nations Security Council that any engagement with the Taliban government must hinge on actions taken against terrorist organisations, including the TTP.

Mullah Sherin Akhund served as the governor of Kabul from August 24, 2021, to November 7, 2021. He was also a member of the Taliban negotiation team at the Islamic Emirates Qatar Office.

He also served as in-charge of Taliban Movement founder Mullah Omar’s security staff during the 1996–2001 rule of Afghanistan. He was one of Mullah Omar’s close associates and also served as the commander of the Taliban military intelligence.