The government of Pakistan on Wednesday has sent a 50-member delegation of tribal elders to Kabul to discuss an extension of a truce with the Pakistani Taliban that expired this week, two security officials added. The Taliban has mediated talks between the two sides that led to ceasefires in the past in Afghanistan.
The Pakistani Taliban-called as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP-are a separate group but allied with the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in their nation last August, as the United States and NATO military were in the final rounds of their pullout from Afghanistan.
The TTP has been behind multiple attacks in Pakistan in the last 14 years & has long fought for tougher enforcement of Islamic laws in the nation, the release of their members who are in government custody & a reduction of Pakistani military presence in the country’s former tribal regions.
The development comes following the fresh ceasefire that expired on Tuesday. The similar truce between the TTP and Pakistan, brokered by the Afghan Taliban last November, lasted a month. However, none of the ceasefires has paved the way for a more permanent peace agreement.
Both sides have remained quiet about earlier dialogues in Kabul, the sticking points between them, and the chances of an extension to the recent ceasefire. Analysts added a more permanent deal could be possible if either side is willing to present flexibility on what is or isn’t acceptable to them.
At the same time, two senior TTP officials who are close to the dialogue also ensured that the arrival of the 50-member team in Kabul. They said that a truce extension is linked to a ‘positive respose’ from the government of Pakistan.
Just like the two security officials, they have refused to explain on condition of anonymity as they were not allowed to address the media about the talks.
There was no official comment from the Pakistani government or the Taliban in Afghanistan.
