WHILE relations with the Afghan Taliban have been testy of late, mainly because of the feeling in Islamabad that the rulers in Kabul are not doing enough to stop the banned TTP’s cross-border terrorism, there are signs of some improvement in ties. For example, the top Afghan diplomat in Pakistan recently met Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, while earlier, our charge d’affaires in Kabul met the Taliban defence minister. While the Foreign Office downplayed the Afghan official’s meeting with Mr Dar as a “courtesy call”, it reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to dialogue with Kabul. Compared to some of the more confrontational rhetoric exchanged between the two sides — as well as limited hostilities at the border between the respective security forces — this commitment to peaceful resolution of outstanding issues should be welcomed. Primarily, Kabul must realise that giving space to terrorists will one day also endanger the stability of the Taliban regime. The assassination of Khalilur Rehman Haqqani — an acting Afghan minister and a senior member of the powerful Haqqani clan — on Wednesday is strong proof of this. Islamic State-Khorasan has claimed responsibility for Haqqani’s murder; he is said to be the highest-level Afghan official to be killed since the Taliban took Kabul in 2021.

Pakistan and Afghanistan share a common enemy in the IS-K, which is also believed to maintain links with the banned TTP. Pakistan must emphasise that just as IS-K threatens the Taliban regime in Kabul, the TTP is an equally dangerous threat to this country’s stability. Therefore, despite the ideological links between the TTP and the Taliban, the latter must prevent the terrorist group from threatening Pakistan’s security. It would be hypocritical, to say the least, for the Taliban to fight IS-K on their soil, yet unleash the TTP on Pakistan. Similarly, the Taliban’s push for ‘talks’ between the TTP and the Pakistani state is a non-starter, as both the TTP and IS-K prefer terrorism over the political process. The renewed contacts between the Taliban regime and Pakistan should continue; the focus should be on counterterrorism as well as trade and people-to-people issues. Additionally, Kabul should consider that its quest for acceptance within the comity of nations would be greatly aided by maintaining cordial ties with Pakistan, and preventing elements wishing to do harm to this country from carrying out their nefarious designs.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2024