Afghan Taliban chief asks TTP to ‘revisit’ Pak strategy

Fazl was told by Akhundzada that orders have been given to reduce violence

ISLAMABAD:

The Afghan Taliban chief has asked the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its affiliates to revisit their strategy towards Pakistan following his recent meeting with Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the head of Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam-Fazl.

Sources told The Express Tribune here on Tuesday that the JUI-F chief on his return from Kabul delivered a message from Haibatullah Akhundzada, the reclusive Taliban chief, to the Pakistani authorities.

According to the sources, Fazl was told by the Taliban supreme leader that he had directed the TTP leadership to review its strategy towards Pakistan and reduce the violence.

Pakistani authorities are assessing the Taliban chief’s message but initial reaction suggests that they are not satisfied.

One source familiar with the development said the message for the TTP to reduce the violence would not work.

“What we want is a permanent solution to the problem,” the source added.

Read also: Fazlur Rehman’s visit to Afghanistan

However, the Taliban chief’s direction to the TTP did not offer a permanent solution.

Fazl also informed Pakistani authorities that the Taliban government believed that talks were the only solution to resolving the TTP problem.

Haibatullah Akhundzada, as per the sources, stressed that both parties were “Muslims” and “all Muslims are brethren”. “Therefore, both sides must seek a solution through dialogue,” according to the Taliban chief.

For this purpose, the Taliban supreme leader told Fazl that his country was ready to offer its “good offices” for the revival of talks.

Following the return of Taliban to power in Aug 2021, Pakistan did initiate talks with the banned TTP.

Talks were facilitated and brokered by the Afghan Taliban. Negotiations did make progress at the start when the TTP announced a ceasefire in return for Pakistan releasing a number of its members.

Read: ‘No intention to harm Pakistan’, Afghan PM tells Fazl

To further take the process forward, Pakistan allowed hundreds of TTP militants to return to their homes. But their resettlement plan soon backfired as they took up arms and started targeting the security forces.

The talks eventually broke down and a day before the change of army command in Nov 2022, the TTP called off the unilateral truce.

Since then, the number of attacks has only gone up while Pakistan has decided there would not be any talks with the terrorist outfit.

The sources said despite the renewed call for revival of talks by the Afghan Taliban chief, Pakistan is in no mood to revisit its stance. However, some sources said the visit of Fazl did break the ice as there was visible lowering of rhetoric from the Afghan Taliban side.

Observers, nevertheless, are sceptical of any major breakthrough given the wide gulf between the two sides on the TTP issue.

Any major development on the Afghan front is expected after the upcoming elections when the new government takes charge and may review the policy.