May 19, 2022
2 mins read

Pakistan pins hope on talks with TTP

Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, the officer in-charge of all Pakistani troops in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is leading a Pakistani delegation in talks with the leaders of the TTP in the capital of Afghanistan…reports Asian Lite News

Pakistani officials remain pessimistic about the militant outfit, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) permanently giving up its violent campaign, RFE/RL reported.

Attacks by the group and military operations in response have killed thousands of civilians and soldiers since small Pakistani Taliban groups first emerged along the country’s western border with Afghanistan in 2003.

A Pakistani official said that Islamabad was hoping for “temporary relief” from the attacks as the talks with the TTP continue, though it remains to be seen if the jihadist group can be fully reconciled with the country’s mainstream, RFE/RL reported.

“There will, however, be cracks, which will substantially weaken the TTP,” he said of the optimistic assessment within Islamabad of what the negotiations could eventually achieve.

Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, the officer in-charge of all Pakistani troops in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is leading a Pakistani delegation in talks with the leaders of the TTP in the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul.

The official added that the Afghan Taliban’s interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, and intelligence chief Abdul Haq Qasiq had been mediating the talks, which are part of Islamabad’s ongoing efforts to stem rising violence from the outlawed fugitive group, whose attacks have killed dozens of Pakistani soldiers this year, RFE/RL reported.

Hameed, a former head of Pakistan’s powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency, has guided Islamabad’s efforts to address the rising threat from the TTP through talks and military operations, including air strikes inside Afghanistan last month.

Clouding the outlook is also Islamabad’s checkered history of talks with the Pakistani Taliban.

Pakistani officials concluded several agreements with the Taliban groups that formally united into the TTP in 2007. But none delivered peace, which eventually forced Islamabad to push the group into Afghanistan after a major military operation in 2014.

Building on its organisational and ideological links with the Afghan Taliban, the TTP eventually recovered and has reabsorbed some of its splinter factions over the past two years.

TTP attacks have spiked sharply since the Taliban seized Kabul in August 2021.

In a sign that an agreement with the TTP might not deliver the temporary respite the Pakistani officials hope for, a suicide attack on a military vehicle killed six people in the restive North Waziristan district late on May 14.

ALSO READ: Fresh wave of blasts in Pakistan upsets China

Previous Story

Parliament affirms trust in Prez MBZ

Next Story

EU unveils strategic partnership with GCC

Latest from -Top News

Modi Due in Sri Lanka to Cement Ties

Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha described the visit to island nation as “very important” and likely will set a fresh agenda for bilateral cooperation Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit

India Acts as ‘First Responder’ in Myanmar: Jaishankar

Jaishankar took the opportunity to underscore India’s swift humanitarian response, highlighting Operation Brahma, which was launched to assist those affected by the earthquake. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday expressed India’s

MIND Diet Shows Short-Term Gains for Cognition

The study enrolled 604 participants who were overweight, had a suboptimal diet, and a family history of Alzheimer’s disease The MIND diet, known for its emphasis on brain-healthy foods like whole grains,
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Pakistan Sets General Elections For Feb 8

Pakistan’s election body changed the election date from February 11

The end of Imran’s PTI?

Maleeka Bokhari, Jamshed Cheema and Musarrat Jamshed Cheema became the