ISLAMABAD:
Officials said on Tuesday that Pakistan has chosen to send its point man on Afghanistan to Kabul this week in order to send a clear message about the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is outlawed.
Asif Durrani, the Special Representative for Afghanistan, will visit the Afghan capital on Wednesday amid simmering tensions between the two nations over the problem of terrorist safe havens.
Pakistan’s defense minister and army commander have delivered severe warnings to Kabul, increasing pressure on the Afghan interim government to address the TTP threat.
Terrorist assaults have increased in Pakistan. Following a string of assaults in Balochistan, Afghan Taliban leader General Asim Munir reminded them of their agreements with the world community not to allow their territory to be used against other nations.
Read US warns Taliban government over Afghanistan becoming’safe haven’ for terrorists after Pakistan
Khawaja Asif, the defense minister, went one step further and charged Afghanistan with failing to uphold its obligations as a responsible neighbor. He bemoaned the fact that while Pakistan had long sheltered millions of Afghan refugees, the Afghan Taliban were sheltering those who were shedding blood there.
After receiving harsh criticism, the Afghan Taliban denied Pakistani assertions and asserted that the TTP was not operating on Afghan territory.
However, the Corps commanders disproved the Afghan assertions and asserted that TTP not only had safe havens across the border but also had access to cutting-edge weapons.
According to official sources, newly designated special envoy Ambassador Durrani would send the Taliban leadership a strong warning that Pakistan’s time was running out.
Attempts to persuade the Afghan Taliban in the past have failed, and many are doubtful that Pakistan’s most recent drive will succeed.
The TTP has become a significant barrier to cooperation between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban. The Afghan Taliban are unwilling to pursue the TTP, in contrast to Pakistan’s expectations.
The Afghan Taliban and TTP are two different faces of the same coin, according to those who speak in private.
Pakistan has pursued a more confrontational attitude ever since the army’s top leadership changed. On Tuesday, the US supported Pakistan’s call for action to be taken against the terrorist safe havens in Afghanistan.
According to a representative for the State Department, it is the Afghan Taliban’s duty to prevent the use of their country’s soil as a weapon against other nations.
