IANS | 04 Jul, 2024
Pakistan and Afghan Taliban held important talks during an informal
dinner meeting on the sidelines of the Doha process for Afghanistan earlier
this week.
While both sides have officially stated that the talks were
"positive in nature", inside sources revealed that many critical
roadblocks still persist.
The meeting between Pakistan's Special Envoy on Afghanistan, Ambassador
Asif Durrani, and Afghan Taliban's Chief Spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid was
held at the residence of Pakistan's Ambassador to Qatar.
The all-important UN-backed Doha process meeting was attended by several
countries, including India.
During the Pak-Afghan meeting, many crucial and sensitive matters were
discussed with both sides putting forward their demands and recommendations on
the table.
As per reliable sources, Durrani highlighted the issue of the
operational presence of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Afghanistan soil
and told the Afghan Taliban to take action against the outfit.
Pakistan insisted that TTP militants are being trained, funded,
facilitated, and supported on Afghan territory and are attempting to penetrate
into Pakistan through many pockets of the porous Pak-Afghan border.
"Pakistan also briefed the Afghan Taliban on the scope of
'Operation Azm-e-Istehkam', asserting that there would be no talks with the TTP
and the operation to take down TTP militants would not be compromised,"
said a source on the condition of anonymity.
On the other hand, the Afghan Taliban raised serious concerns over the
decision of the Pakistan government to repatriate 1.7 million illegal Afghans
without consulting the Afghan Taliban and called for an immediate halt to the
ongoing process.
The Afghan Taliban also reiterated its previous recommendations for
peace talks between Pakistan and the TTP and expressed its readiness to
facilitate them.
"Afghan Taliban's demands were clearly negated by the Pakistan
side," the source stated.
Pakistan has already conducted air strikes on Afghan territory in the
past and claimed to have destroyed TTP training centres operating freely on the
Afghan side.
Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also recently said that the
option of conducting air strikes and military operations in Afghanistan to take
down TTP militants remains an option and would be considered only if Afghan
Taliban continues to ignore Islamabad's demands of taking action against TTP on
Afghan soil.
The Afghan Taliban also responded to the statement, threatening serious
consequences to Pakistan if such an attempt was made.
Experts believe that while there was nothing achieved from the meeting
in Doha, it can pave the way to more consultations and talks between the two
sides which can be considered as a positive development.
"The meeting was part of renewed efforts by Pakistan to convince
the Afghan Taliban to get rid of TTP and its affiliates. It would not be wrong
to say that Pakistan's hint of extending its military operation into
Afghanistan has forced the Afghan Taliban side to table talks," said
senior political analyst Kamran Yousaf.
--IANS