RASC News Agency: Ali Amin Gandapur, the Chief Minister of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has announced plans to send a delegation of “tribal elders” to Afghanistan to engage in talks with the Taliban. Gandapur acknowledged that the federal government’s efforts to establish peace with Afghanistan have thus far been unsuccessful. According to The Express Tribune on Wednesday, January 22, Gandapur stated during a press conference in Dera Ismail Khan that the “Afghanistan issue” can only be resolved through constructive dialogue. The Chief Minister noted, “This delegation will visit Afghanistan within the next two weeks to hold discussions with the Taliban. We are determined to find practical solutions to the prevailing challenges.
I hope they will cooperate with our tribal leaders.” Since the Taliban’s ascension to power in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s government and military have repeatedly sought to negotiate with Taliban officials to address the threat posed by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Despite being a key supporter in enabling the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan primarily through the assistance of Pakistan’s military and intelligence services the Taliban has, over the past two years, distanced itself from Pakistan while fostering closer ties with India. Previously, high-ranking political and military officials from Pakistan engaged in talks with TTP leaders in Kabul under the patronage of Sirajuddin Haqqani.
These negotiations, which included a brief ceasefire between the Pakistani military and the TTP, ultimately ended in failure, leading to the resumption of hostilities between the Taliban and Pakistani forces. In recent months, the TTP has intensified its attacks across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, prompting the Pakistani military to ramp up its counter-insurgency operations in the region. The Pakistani government and military have accused the Afghanistani Taliban of failing to collaborate in curbing the TTP’s activities. On the contrary, the TTP has been alleged to use Afghanistan territory as a base to plan and execute operations against targets within Pakistan. In response, the Pakistani military has carried out several airstrikes along southeastern Afghanistan’s border in recent weeks.
