Kabul upbeat as Fazl meets Taliban officials

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the head of the Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam (JUI-F), reached Kabul on Sunday on a visit being seen as part of efforts by the Afghan Taliban government to convince Pakistan that it was not supporting the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been simmering for months over Kabul’s failure to stop the TTP-sponsored attacks from across the border. Islamabad virtually severed high-level contacts with Kabul before Taliban regime sent a senior aide of Taliban supreme leader to defuse tensions.

Mullah Shirin, the governor of Kandahar and deputy head of military and intelligence of Afghan Taliban government, visited Islamabad last week and held crucial talks with Pakistani authorities. Now, the JUI-F chief is in Kabul.

A Foreign Office official said that the visit of Maulana Fazl was in a private capacity. The official added that the visit was being closely followed and the authorities would assess what would transpire from the visit.

On the opening day of his trip, Fazl met with Maulavi Kabir, the Vice President of Afghan Taliban government, according to the JUI-F spokesperson. The meeting was also attended by Afghan Interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and other Taliban officials.

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According to the spokesperson, Muttaqi was upbeat about the positive impact of Fazl’s visit. Taliban officials said they would brief one of Pakistan’s prominent political and religious figures about the steps Kabul had taken to stop cross-border terrorism.

Many Afghan Taliban members including those who are in the government have studied from seminaries run by the JUI-F. Observers believe that Pakistan may use the influence of the JUI-F chief to sort out the issue of TTP.

JUI-F Sources said a meeting with the TTP representatives during Fazl’s visit was not on the agenda. The JUI-F chief had previously visited Qatar to meet Afghan Taliban leaders when the US was trying to negotiate a peace deal.

Pakistan has been seeking a decisive action against the TTP and its affiliates. But the Afghan Taliban are reluctant to use force and instead are still keen that Pakistan pursue the option of talks. Islamabad, nevertheless, insists that talks are no more an option.

Pakistan’s stance stems from the fact that previous round of peace talks only emboldened the TTP. Pakistan also found some of the TTP demands unconstitutional. Observers believe that it remains to be seen if the Afghan Taliban come up with any new idea to tackle the TTP during the visit of JUI-F chief.

According to Afghanistan’s Tolonews, acting Foreign Minister Muttaqi said after the meeting that they would discuss with the JUI-F delegation the issues of interest to both sides, including economic and security issues. He hoped that the delegation would help solve the existing bilateral problems.

"As far as we know, the arrival of the delegation may have some message from the other side, and they will share it with the elders here, and from this side, they will share what they hear and see," Muttaqi was quoted by Tolonews as saying.

(WITH INPUT FROM NEWS DESK)