Asif Durrani, Pakistan's former special envoy for Afghanistan, says that the Afghan Taliban framing the issue of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as an internal matter of Pakistan shows that Kabul has no intention of taking action against the group.
Durrani wrote on his X page on Friday (August 30) that this stance by the Taliban has posed challenges to efforts aimed at improving relations between Kabul and Islamabad and has damaged the atmosphere of trust between the two countries.
He stated that mediation efforts by Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and China have so far yielded no clear outcome regarding the TTP issue. According to him, the Taliban's position demonstrates that they prioritize their ties with the TTP over addressing Pakistan's security concerns.
The former Pakistani diplomat warned that this approach by the Taliban could further impact bilateral relations and regional stability. Pointing to recent unrest and protests in Badakhshan, he noted that the Taliban are ignoring Pakistan's security concerns at a time when they themselves are facing internal pressures.
Durrani added that the Taliban refrain from acting against Pakistan's "enemies," even as internal opposition and challenges against them continue to grow within Afghanistan.
These remarks come as disagreements between Kabul and Islamabad over the TTP issue have intensified. Yesterday, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, spokesperson for the Pakistan Armed Forces, also criticized the Taliban, alleging that they exploit terrorism for their own economic and political gains.
However, the Afghan Taliban have consistently rejected such accusations from Pakistan, maintaining that no terrorist group operates on Afghan soil.
Writer:Saeed Sameer
