Afghan Taliban Urges Dialogue between Islamabad and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan for Peace

Recognizing that the actions of a banned militant organization within Pakistan were causing the international community to cast blame on Afghanistan, a senior Afghan Taliban leader urged the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamabad to engage in dialogue for the sake of peace.

“We urge the Pakistani government and advise our brothers (TTP) who are in conflict with them to come together and engage in dialogue,” stated Muhammad Nabi Omari, the deputy interior minister of Afghanistan’s interim Taliban government, during an iftar gathering in the southeastern town of Khost.

The Afghan Taliban have been privately encouraging Pakistan and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to enter direct talks to resolve a conflict that has lasted for more than two decades. This conflict has resulted in the loss of thousands of lives and has led to significant displacement of people in the tribal region that spans across Afghanistan and Pakistan.

However, this is the first instance where a senior figure from the Afghan Taliban has opted to publicly address the issue, not only advocating for direct dialogue between Islamabad and the TTP but also rebuking the militant group.

Efforts by the Afghan interim government to “facilitate” discussions between the two parties in the past have resulted in deadlock, leading Islamabad to accuse Kabul of offering shelter and calling on it to act against the militant group.

The Afghan Taliban have strongly refuted claims that the TTP is operating from Afghan territory, instead urging Pakistan to focus on resolving its internal security issues.

Relations between the two nations have been tense since Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Khost and Paktika in response to the death of seven of its soldiers in a North Waziristan suicide bombing in March.

“We have witnessed war and revolution,” Omari was quoted by Afghan media outlet ToloNews as saying. “These conflicts and disturbances result in widows and orphans, devastate our homeland, and cripple the economy,” he added.

“Now, the world uses the excuse that there are terrorists here in Afghanistan and that Al-Qaeda is present,” the deputy interior minister remarked. “I swear, based on our information there is not a single Al-Qaeda member in Afghanistan,” Omari emphasized.

However, the deputy interior minister did not comment on the presence of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan.

Omari warned Islamabad and the TTP that neither side could emerge victorious in the conflict. Drawing from the Afghan Taliban’s experience, he stated that even with a ten million-strong army, Pakistan could not eradicate its adversaries.

Similarly, he remarked that the TTP also could not achieve victory in this conflict. He noted that the Afghan Taliban could succeed because the entire Afghan nation stood behind them, providing support in terms of food and shelter.

“And to our brothers (the TTP), whatever they may term it – jihad or war, we do not interfere in their matters. If they are battling against the system (state), even if you continue fighting the system for a hundred years, you cannot emerge victorious,” he remarked.

Simultaneously, Omari indirectly criticized the TTP, without explicitly naming them, suggesting that they might not have widespread support among the Pakistani population.

“We have nothing to do with it,” he stated, quickly adding, “but we are bearing the brunt of it, the escalation of conflict in Pakistan impacts the situation in Afghanistan.”

It remains unclear what prompted a prominent figure to address an issue that the Kabul leadership has been avoiding discussing publicly, citing its sensitivity.

Pakistan has maintained its stance of not engaging in direct talks with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and it believes that the Afghan interim government is obligated under the terms of the Doha agreement to act against the group.

According to sources Pakistan has gathered evidence of the TTP’s involvement in the killing of Chinese workers in the Besham area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. This evidence is expected to be shared with Beijing, which is likely to raise the issue with Kabul.

China has been a significant investor in Afghanistan and has a strong diplomatic presence in both countries. Recently, China formally accepted the credentials of Kabul’s ambassador.

The day following a senior Afghan Taliban leader’s call for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamabad to engage in negotiations for peace, the Foreign Office (FO) of Pakistan ruled out the possibility of talks with the militant group.

According to state broadcaster Radio Pakistan, Foreign Office Spokesperson Ms. Mumtaz Zahra Baloch stated that Pakistan anticipated Afghan authorities to promptly address terrorist groups and their leadership for the crimes and terrorist acts they were perpetrating in Pakistan.

She added that Pakistan remained steadfast in its fight against all terrorist groups that had targeted Pakistan and the symbols of Pakistan-China friendship.

Earlier in her briefing, Ms. Mumtaz Zahra Baloch mentioned that Afghanistan was a topic of discussion at the 19th regular meeting of the secretaries of the security councils of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held in Kazakhstan on April 3.

Ms. Baloch said that Secretary of the National Security Division, Waqar Ahmad, who headed the Pakistan delegation at the SCO, cautioned about the “far-reaching consequences of terrorist acts for the entire region and emphasized the necessity of adopting a comprehensive approach to address the root causes.”

A couple of weeks earlier, Federal Defense Minister, Mr. Khawaja Asif accused Afghanistan of failing to make any headway in eradicating terrorism and advocated for stricter border controls to counter the threat.

“Given the rise in terrorist attacks, there is a pressing need for a fundamental shift in the border situation. The root of terrorism in Pakistan lies in Afghanistan, and despite our endeavors, Kabul has not shown any progress in this regard,” he stated in a post on social media platform X.

He expressed regret that despite the Taliban administration being aware of terrorist hideouts, terrorists were freely operating against Pakistan from their territory. “There is no cooperation available from Kabul in tackling the terrorism threat,” the minister emphasized.

His remarks came in light of a series of recent attacks, including those on the Gwadar Port Authority complex and a naval base in Turbat, as well as the suicide attack on a van carrying Chinese workers in Shangla.

Efforts by the Afghan interim government to “facilitate” talks between the two sides in the past have resulted in deadlock, leading Islamabad to accuse Kabul of offering sanctuary and urging it to take action against the militant organization.

The Afghan Taliban have strongly denied that the TTP is operating from Afghan soil and have urged Pakistan to focus on resolving its internal security issues.