ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Special Re­­presentative on Afghanistan Ambassador Asif Durrani has said Islamabad has evidence that the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is getting money from India through Afghan proxies, estimating that 5,000 to 6,000 TTP militants have taken shelter in Afghanistan.

“If we include their families, then the number goes up to 70,000,” Mr Durrani said on Saturday while speaking at a programme hosted by an Islamabad-based think tank on the Afghan peace process.

Consultation on “Afghan peace and reconciliation: Pakistan’s interests and policy options” was the 12th one in a series of discussions organised by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS).

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Ambassador Durrani said Pakistan’s peace talks with the banned TTP failed in the past because the militant group was neither ready to surrender nor swear allegiance to the Constitution of Pakistan. The special envoy said it was apparent someone else was paying for their upkeep as the interim Afghan government could not afford the per-day expenditure of such a large number of people.

PTI leader says Kabul be given an opportunity to make own decisions

The third primary reason for the deadlock in talks was that the group didn’t want to face law for the heinous crimes it committed, including the attack on the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar, he added.

Ambassador Durrani said Pakistan, during talks, had told the interim government in Kabul that the latter needed to make TTP surrender and disarm the group and detain its leadership. He clarified that “TTP is the red line for Pakistan”.

Referring to the Pakistan-Afghan border crossing issue, the envoy said Islamabad should implement the one-document regime on all border crossings with Afghanistan.

KP’s trade potential

Former federal minister of state for parliamentary affairs and PTI leader Ali Mohammad Khan said Afghanistan should be given an opportunity to make its own decisions. He said Pakistan could help its neighbour in peacebuilding.

“We understand that opening of borders and trade with Afghanistan is in the interest of Pakistan,” he said. He said that the huge potential of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could be used in promoting trade with the neighbouring country.

National Party leader Abdul Malik Baloch talked about parliamentary supremacy and said the solution of all economic, political and foreign policy problems of Pakistan “only lies with parliament”.

Flawed policy

Political analyst and expert on Afghan affairs ex-senator Afrasiab Khattak was of the view that the root cause of many problems of Pakistan, including its ailing economy and extremism, was its flawed policy for Afghanistan.

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“To come out of the crisis, Pakistan needs to change its Afghan policy and admit mistakes of the past,” he said, adding that interests of the West overwhelmed Pakistan’s internal and external policies.

BNP-M leader Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini called for a roadmap to address long-standing issues, highlighting the need for a grand dialogue among political parties and improving Pak-Afghan trade ties.

Former defence secretary retired Lt Gen Naeem Khalid Lodhi said that Pakistan’s Afghan policy was under the influence of foreign elements. He said Afgh­a­nistan was affecting Pakistan the most in terms of politics, economics and security.

Council of Islamic Ideology Chairman Dr Qibla Ayaz also spoke on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2024