PESHAWAR: An eight-member delegation of Pakistani ulema, led by known religious scholar Mufti Taqi Usman, reached Kabul on Monday for talks with senior leaders of Afghanistan’s interim government, in a bid to persuade leaders of the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to further extend their ceasefire with Islamabad.

Senior Taliban officials and Pakistan’s ambassador to Afghanistan Mansour Ahmad Khan, received the delegation at the Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul. Video footage released by the Afghan Taliban showed the delegation receiving a warm welcome upon their arrival.

Head of Wafaqul Madaris Al-Arabia Qari Hanif Jalandhari and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl) Senator Talha Mahmood were also part of the delegation. Sources said that senior officials briefed members of the delegation in Islamabad before their departure for Kabul.

Sources said the ulema would also meet TTP leaders during their stay in Kabul and would try to convince them to soften their stance and extend the ceasefire. The proscribed organisation’s commanders, including their chief Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, have been in the Afghan capital for talks with the Pakistani officials.

Mufti Taqi Usmani-led delegation hopes senior Afghan Taliban leaders can convince TTP to ‘soften stance’

Before this, a 57-member jirga, consisting of elders from various Pakhtun tribes from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, had last visited Kabul in June and met TTP commanders, but their talks remained fruitless. Sources said the ulema would also seek assistance from senior members of the interim Taliban government to pressurise the TTP into making the ceasefire effective and softening their pre-conditions for talks.

One of the main demands of the outfit is the reversal of the merger of erstwhile Fata with the settled areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, something that the government has already termed ‘non-negotiable’.

“Our demands are very clear and especially the reversal of Fata with KP is our primary demand which the group cannot back down from,” said Noor Wali Mehsud, during an interview with a YouTuber in Kabul in June.

The TTP had announced ceasefire for an indefinite period before Eidul Fitr. Despite this, Pakistani security forces have come under frequent attack, particularly in the volatile Waziristan districts. Attacks on the security forces from the Afghan side have also increased in this time.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2022

Opinion

Editorial

Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...
Islamabad protest
Updated 20 Nov, 2024

Islamabad protest

As Nov 24 draws nearer, both the PTI and the Islamabad administration must remain wary and keep within the limits of reason and the law.
PIA uncertainty
20 Nov, 2024

PIA uncertainty

THE failed attempt to privatise the national flag carrier late last month has led to a fierce debate around the...
T20 disappointment
20 Nov, 2024

T20 disappointment

AFTER experiencing the historic high of the One-day International series triumph against Australia, Pakistan came...