Fazl off to Kabul for talks on TTP

After a consultative meeting in Islamabad, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief is all set to leave for Kabul today (Sunday) on the invitation of the interim Afghan government to discuss Islamabad’s approach on the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other issues.

Pakistan hopes that Maulana Fazlur Rehman's religious influences on the Afghan Taliban would bring peace and stability with Kabul bowing to Islamabad’s demands.

An 11-member delegation, headed by the JUI-F chief and including former South Waziristan MNA Maulana Jamaluddin Mehsud, Mufti Ibrar and members from the Haqqani religious seminary, will visit Kabul on the invitation of the Ameerul Momineen Mullah Haibatullah Akhund.

Some of the religious scholars already landed in Kabul on Saturday while the Maulana along with other members of the delegation will join them on Sunday.

Read TTP aimed to control former FATA: official

Maulana Fazl would have a meeting with Haqqani Network chief Sirajuddin Haqqani in Kabul and Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob to discuss the Islamabad agenda with them, sources in Kabul revealed.

The two sides will discuss the TTP and other issues, including bring them to the negotiating table, ensuring the elections security in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the merged districts, pushing them away from border areas, border management, trade relations and also the visa free movement at Chaman border points.

The two sides already made promises on security affairs when Mullah Shirin, the governor of Kandahar province, had landed last week in Islamabad while Maulana Fazl’s visit would give further push on all topics concerned, the source added.

Besides Maulana Fazl, Maulana Mehsud who has influence over the TTP groups in South Waziristan could also bring the TTP Mehsud and Wazir groups to the negotiating table for talks.