ISLAMABAD: The Afghan Taliban has renewed its call for peace talks between Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Pakistan as Islamabad’s efforts to persuade Kabul to take action against the terrorist group failed, reported The Express Tribune.
This week, Pakistan sent a special envoy on a three-day mission to Kabul to make it clear that the interim ad-ministration must act swiftly to stop the TTP. But after several talks, the Afghan Taliban told him that Pakistan should choose the route of peace rather than using force, as per The Express Tribune. The Express Tribune is an internationally affiliated newspaper in Pakistan.
During his visit, Ambassador Asad Durrani had meetings with the acting foreign minister and deputy prime min-ister of Afghanistan, Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi and Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, as per The Express Tribune.
Quoting official sources, familiar with the matter, The Express Tribune reported that the Afghan Taliban leader-ship was told clearly that Pakistan’s patience was wearing thin vis-à-vis the TTP.
In her weekly news briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said, “The issue of terrorism, as I’ve said in the past, including in the last briefing, is an issue of serious concern to Pakistan. And Pakistan has raised this issue with the Afghan authorities on multiple occasions and at every important engagement that takes place between Pakistan and the Afghan interim authorities.”
“We have discussed the threat of terrorism emanating from the Afghan soil,” she added when asked whether Ambassador Durrani took up the issue of cross-border terrorism with the Afghan authorities. However, the Afghan Taliban administration is not prepared to follow that course, despite Pakistan’s insistence on taking action against TTP.
According to sources, cited by The Express Tribune, the deputy prime minister of Afghanistan advised the Paki-stani ambassador to choose the “path of peace” rather than “use of force”. They said that it was obvious the Af-ghan Taliban had no interest in attacking the TTP. Instead, Kabul once rejected a request from Pakistan to begin peace negotiations with the TTP.
The TTP increased attacks and exploited the prior rounds of negotiations, leading Pakistan to give up on the peace effort.
Pakistan will no longer pursue negotiations with the TTP, the civil and military leadership determined. In any case, though, negotiations can only begin until the TTP gives up.
The deputy prime minister of Afghanistan asked Durrani that Pakistan should choose peace over war. He claimed that given Afghanistan’s bitter experiences of war, he would advise Pakistan to pursue a diplomatic solu-tion instead. (ANI)
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