RASC News Agency: Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Munir Akram, has revealed that he held discussions with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the permanent representatives of ten elected members of the UN Security Council, focusing on Afghanistan’s security and political future. In a statement on X, Akram emphasized that “the preservation of peace and Afghanistan’s future” were central themes of the discussions. He elaborated, stating, “I hosted a luncheon for the UN Secretary-General and the permanent representatives of ten elected Security Council members. We engaged in a constructive dialogue on a range of issues, including peace preservation and Afghanistan’s trajectory.”
This diplomatic engagement unfolds amid escalating tensions between Pakistan and the Afghanistani Taliban over the activities of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the group’s cross-border attacks on Pakistani soil. Pakistani officials, including Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, have repeatedly accused the Taliban of providing sanctuary to TTP militants within Afghanistan a claim the Taliban have categorically denied. However, the Express Tribune, citing an unnamed senior Pakistani official, recently reported that the Afghanistani Taliban have begun relocating the families of TTP militants from border regions to other areas of Afghanistan.
This move, according to the Pakistani newspaper, aligns with Islamabad’s persistent demands and follows recent visits to the United Arab Emirates by Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s Minister of Interior, and Abdul Haq Wasiq, the head of Taliban intelligence. While neither the Taliban nor Pakistani officials have publicly disclosed the purpose of these high-level visits, the senior Pakistani official confirmed that both the UAE and Qatar have played a crucial role in facilitating negotiations on a potential resolution to the TTP issue.