Efforts on Afghan ties going nowhere

Pakistan's diplomatic efforts to reset ties with Afghanistan have met a dead end as brewing differences within the Taliban have made it difficult for Islamabad to have meaningful engagement with Kabul.

Sources familiar with the development told The Express Tribune on Tuesday said that at this point there are hardly any contacts between the two countries. One of the major reasons is that the situation in the power corridors of Afghanistan is "messy" and Pakistan is not sure who to talk to in Kabul.

Reports of differences within the Taliban leadership have been doing rounds for months. Although the Taliban denied such speculations, sources in Islamabad said "all is not well" within the militant group that seized power in the neighboring country in August 2021.

It is believed that there is a power struggle going on between the Kandhari group, led by Taliban chief Hibatullah Akhundzada and the Haqqani Network, headed by Sirajuddin Haqqani.

The interim Afghan interior minister last month traveled to the UAE and Saudi Arabia. However, since then there has been no news about his return to the country. Similarly, Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Sher Abbas Stanikzai has been missing from the scene for many weeks.

Stanikzai had criticized the Taliban chief's decree banning girls' education and also urged Afghans not to follow him blindly. There were reports that the Taliban chief ordered his arrest but he fled the country.

In order to dispel the impression, last week Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Mullah Yaqoob and the Taliban army chief were seen together at an event in Kabul. However, Sirajuddin Haqqani and Stanikzai were conspicuous by their absence.

Sources here said there were multiple factors behind the growing rift among the Taliban ranks. The main stumbling point is the issue of a ban on girls' education and engagement with the outside world.

The Taliban amir is adamant that he would not lift the ban on girls' education while moderate factions including the Haqqani network advocate policies that address concerns of the international community.

President Donald Trump's move to suspend all kinds of humanitarian and foreign aid also compounded the problem for the Afghan government. Before the suspension, Afghanistan was getting $60 million a week under humanitarian assistance.

Since the return of the Taliban in August 2021, the US pumped in $3.5 billion in Afghanistan. That helped the Taliban regime to keep the Afghan economy afloat. But the suspension of funding has now put them in a difficult situation.

The Taliban government is struggling to manage the exchange rate and pay salaries to the employees. Moderate factions in the Taliban rank blamed the hardliners for the mess.