Negotiations between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s interim Taliban government ended without results, which seems to further destabilize the law and order situation in the region, while these negotiations were primarily focused on demands for action against terrorist groups, particularly Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and others. During this period, Pakistan’s demands and the Taliban’s point of view were discussed.
Yesterday, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said that the negotiations have ended and there is no program or expectation for the next round, while it is heard that Türkiye and Qatar support Pakistan’s stance. The Afghan delegation was saying that their verbal statements should be trusted, but no room for discussion was seen during the talks. During negotiations, final matters are put into written regulations. The Afghan delegation apparently seemed to agree with Pakistan’s stance but was not willing to put it in writing. Now even the mediators have withdrawn. If the mediators had seen a ray of hope, then there could have been justification for the Pakistani team to stay. Pakistan’s principled stance has always been that attacks on Pakistan from Afghan soil should not occur, which the Taliban themselves reiterated in the Doha Agreement. It is worth noting that the Doha Agreement was later endorsed by the United Nations Security Council.
Pakistan’s stance is also clear from the fact that yesterday the Foreign Office spokesperson said that the Pakistani negotiating team in Istanbul provided mediators with solid evidence of attacks on Pakistan from Afghan soil. This information is logical and related to the Fitna-e-Khawarij. Our demands are very simple, clear, and evidence-based. The Foreign Office rejected the Afghan Taliban’s claim regarding firing at the Chaman border, stating that the firing was actually carried out by Afghan Taliban, and the security forces responded. Such incidents lead to border closures. The Chaman incident did not set a good precedent regarding reopening borders.
It is noteworthy that there are deep problems within the Afghan Taliban government’s administration, largely because the Afghan Taliban prefer to maintain friendly relations with TTP and other groups, stemming from their closeness in fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with them against the Soviet Union and later NATO forces. A strong connection and alliance have been established between these groups.
It is also notable that on TTP’s letterhead, on one side are the names of Baitullah Mehsud, Hakimullah Mehsud, Maulana Fazlullah, and Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, while on the other side are Maulana Mohammad Omar and Maulana Hibatullah Akhundzada. After Hakimullah was killed in a drone strike, the Afghan Taliban’s official website not only expressed grief but also highly praised his performance. To the extent that Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar exchange and imitate the same ideological literature. The Afghan Taliban and TTP both pledge allegiance to Hibatullah, while the Afghan Taliban present the impression that they want peace in the region. The Doha Agreement clearly stated that the Afghan Taliban administration would not allow Afghan soil to be used for terrorism; however, the Afghan Taliban have failed to implement this. During negotiations, Pakistan, Turkey, and other mediators proposed a monitoring mechanism to ensure peace and punish violations, but the Afghan Taliban did not agree. Pakistan has now made its stance clear that it will protect its citizens, institutions, and borders. If terrorist groups attack from Afghan soil, Pakistan will respond.
Recently, in Bannu, the police conducted a successful operation against Fitna-e-Khawarij. During the exchange of fire between police and terrorists, seven terrorists were killed and one officer martyred. The DPO of Bannu stated that the terrorists ambushed and opened fire, and the extremists were killed in the counteraction. Ten officers and four civilians were also injured. Five WAPDA employees were safely rescued from Bannu after 55 days, indicating that cross-border terrorism involves not only killings and destruction but also kidnapping, smuggling, and other crimes, to which the security forces responded effectively. Under these circumstances, it seems that an attempt will be made to spread this fire of terrorism to more cities, for which Pakistan must maintain readiness.
The violation of the Doha Agreement by Afghanistan and the open promotion of terrorism could have serious consequences. Afghanistan will become more isolated internationally, funds from the UN and other agencies will decrease, and multilateral action could be taken against Afghanistan under Chapter 7 of the UN. This would not be favorable for Pakistan because ordinary Afghan citizens are our brothers. However, the Afghan administration has decided not to take action against terrorist groups. The limit is that the Taliban continue to tell the international community that no terrorist group exists on their soil and they do not want to provide anything in writing.
The best course is for the Afghan Taliban to stop supporting terrorist groups and not only consider Pakistan’s stance but also move realistically toward peace based on the evidence and proofs provided by Pakistan. Otherwise, India may exploit this opportunity to pursue its own interests by any means. The security forces have accepted every challenge in the past to eliminate terrorism and other crimes and will continue to do so in the future.
