Kabul seeks fresh start with Islamabad

Pakistan’s acting envoy to Kabul travelled to Kandahar earlier this week to meet senior aide of Taliban supreme leader

ISLAMABAD:

The Afghan Taliban government has reached out to new government in Pakistan, seeking talks to resolve issues that have threatened to unravel their bilateral relationship, according to people familiar with the development.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have troubled relationship since months over the Taliban’s refusal to neutralise the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Tensions had been running high when Shehbaz Sharif was heading the PDM government before the elections.

Relationship dipped further under the caretaker setup as Pakistan during that period started evicting undocumented Afghans and tightened border controls besides making visa mandatory for travel between the two neighbours.

Pakistan virtually severed official contacts with the Taliban regime, though, both sides remained in touch informally. The visit of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman was part of informal channels to sort out differences between the two countries.

But following the election and formation of new government, the Taliban government wanted to reopen formal channel of communications with Pakistan.

Also read: CENTCOM chief points to Taliban inaction against TTP

For this purpose, Pakistan’s acting ambassador to Kabul Obaidur Rahman Nizamani travelled to Kandahar earlier this week to meet the senior aide of Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada.

Nizamani travelled out of Kabul for the first time since he survived an assassination attempt in the Afghan capital last year. Pakistan withdrew him and only sent him back after Taliban assured fool proof security to its chief diplomat in Afghanistan.

Nizamani held talks with Mullah Shirin Akhund, who is a governor of Kandahar and a close aide of the Taliban supreme leader. Shirin, an influential Taliban commander, was part of the Taliban government committee that facilitated talks between Pakistan and the TTP.

The media center office in Kandahar posted on its social media platform X that the meeting between Nizamani and Mullah Akhund took place on Monday, March 11 in Kandahar.

According to the Afghan media, Mullah Akhund congratulated the Chargé d’Affaires of the Pakistani embassy on the establishment of a new government in Pakistan during their meeting and expressed hope that the new Pakistani government would assist both Pakistan and Afghanistan, which are Islamic and neiguhboring countries.

Also read: Pakistan terms TTP a global security threat

The governor of Kandahar emphasised, “securing interests and creating a secure environment in the future and implementing programmes based on the policies of the two countries.”

Sources said the Taliban leader wanted the Pakistani envoy to deliver a message to the new government regarding the re-engagement between the two countries.

The Pakistani diplomat assured him that he would convey the message and for this purpose is expected to travel to Islamabad soon.

Sources said the Taliban government was keen to resolve all issues through dialogue. Kabul is still sticking with its stance that Pakistan has to find a way out of TTP problem through dialogue.

The interim government is also demanding from Pakistan to review its strategy expelling the undocumented Afghans as well as revisiting its decision of one document regime.

Prime Minister Shehbaz was already briefed by the foreign secretary on major challenges including relationship with Afghanistan.

The foreign office also informed that newly appointed Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar that the relationship with Afghanistan was on a shaky ground as Kabul was not ready to mend its ways as far as TTP was concerned.

However, foreign office believes that Pakistan must explore diplomatic options to break the impasse.

The prime minister will give the policy guidelines on foreign policy and relationship with Afghanistan after getting input from all the stakeholders.