Setback to Pakistan as Taliban rejects Armyâs plea to arm-twist TTP. (IN)
The Taliban-led Afghan government asked Pakistan to fund the proposal and bear the cost of rehabilitation of the TTP
The Afghan Taliban have expressed their willingness to disarm the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terror group and relocate its members from the countries’ border but with a condition that Islamabad will bear the cost of the proposed plan.
This was revealed at the meeting of the Central Apex Committee which met on Friday to discuss the recent surge in terrorist attacks in the country and other security matters, The Express Tribune reported.
The meeting was presided over by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and attended by Chief Ministers, senior cabinet ministers, the army chief, DG ISI and other relevant officials.
Sources familiar with the meeting told The Express Tribune that the issue of banned TTP and its sanctuaries across the border was one of the main issues on the agenda.
A high-powered delegation led by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif visited Kabul this week to share “irrefutable evidence” with the Afghan Taliban about the presence of TTP in the neighbouring country.
Pakistan delegation in Kabul to mend fences over TTP and border flare-ups.(photo:IN)
The sources said the apex committee was informed that the Afghan interim government proposed a plan to control the banned outfit. The proposal envisages disarming the TTP fighters and their relocation from the countries’ border areas.
However, the Afghan government asked Pakistan to fund the proposal and bear the cost of rehabilitation of the TTP, The Express Tribune reported.
The meeting was informed that the Afghan Taliban made a similar proposal to China to address its concerns on the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM).
However, Pakistan has yet to respond to the Afghan Taliban’s idea as there is scepticism that it might not work.
Nevertheless, it was for the first time that the Afghan Taliban came up with the idea to disarm the TTP.
Earlier, the interim Afghan government encouraged Pakistan to negotiate a peace deal with the TTP, something that backfired.
The deal is likely to face a tough challenge as the tribes inhabiting the border areas have greater stake in keeping the border free of any fencing and patrolling by Pakistan.
The Pakistan Army is believed to have entered into a secret deal with friendly groups within the Afghan Taliban ruling Afghanistan over the Durand Line fencing project.
The army wants to extend Pakistan’s territory on the Durand Line towards Afghanistan. This is being done discreetly with the knowledge of the Taliban. In all probability, Pakistan’s plan is to create an additional safe zone inside the Afghan border for an effective supervision of the border. The Taliban government has been kept in the know of this new approach to border fencing.
It will not be first time that a surreptitious land transfer has taken place between the Taliban and Pakistan. Before the Taliban came to power in Kabul in 1996, the Bab-e-Dosti (Door of Friendship) at Chaman border on the Durand Line was around 1 km inside Pakistan. But during the Taliban rule, it was extended to about 1.5 kms inside Afghanistan. In 2017, Pakistan had infiltrated into areas of Qala Luqman and Qala Jahangir despite protests by Afghan officials.
The 2,670-km long Durand Line on the border cuts through the lands inhabited by the tribes of the Salarzai, Mamund, Mohmand, Afridi, Shinwari, Turi, Bangash, Wazir, Mehsud, Dawar, and Aurkazai. The Achekzai, Nurzai and Kakar tribes live almost equally on both sides of the border. The British-marked border line has been a persistent sore point between the two countries with Afghanistan strongly opposing any border that cuts through the Pashtun land.
Pakistani Army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa (Photo: Twitter/@iamCOAS)
In the last few weeks, Pakistan and Afghan forces have been exchanging fire at Durand Line over the border fencing being constructed by Pakistan since 2017 despite intense opposition from Afghanistan. The project includes the construction of border posts and forts and raising of new wings of Frontier Corps, the paramilitary force that guards the border. The opposition to the fencing has been so strong that scores of border skirmishes had happened between the two armed forces during the Ghani regime.
After the Taliban took over Kabul with its help in August last, Pakistan wanted the new government to stop opposing the project. When the Taliban government showed no interest in helping Pakistan, it put pressure on the Afghan Taliban in various ways, including through its key allies in the government. But in October last year when the Taliban spokesman made clear Kabul’s opposition to the border fencing, Pakistan hit back with a crippling blockade at the Chaman border post. Chaman is the second largest border checkpoint with thousands of trucks and men traveling across the highway every day. The crossing is a major source of revenue for the cash-strapped Taliban government. With border disruptions at Torkham and withdrawal of PIA flights from Kabul, Pakistan sent a strong message to the Taliban government to fall in line or face consequences.
In the last week of December, matters came to a head when the border forces of both the countries fired at each other after the Taliban disrupted the border fencing activities. The exchange of fire continued for over half an hour before matters were brought under control. There were reports of minor skirmishes later.
The 2,670-km long Durand Line on the border cuts through the lands inhabited by several tribes.
These border clashes sent alarms ringing in Rawalpindi and the Generals called for an immediate meeting with the Taliban emissaries. The secret deal was agreed upon at these meetings. Officially it was stated that border fencing work would continue through consensus. The Pak army spokesperson on January 5, 2022 said the remaining six per cent of border fencing work would continue as planned.
But the deal is likely to face a tough challenge as the tribes inhabiting the border areas have greater stake in keeping the border free of any fencing and patrolling by Pakistan. The complex tribal dynamics could undo the Pakistani plan. Noorzai and Achakzai tribes are settled in Chaman and Kandhar and are fiercely against any border dividing the Pashtun nation. Likewise, Shinwaris who are settled in Nangarhar province have cross-border property and trade links. Tribes in Dasmar, Shortan, Marwara, Sarkanu and Knuar are also seriously affected as their cross border businesses have collapsed due to the new fence along the border. In a village in Afghanistan’s Qala MazI people have Pakistan ID cards and even use electricity provided from Pakistan.
The Taliban are steadily dismantling the human rights gains of the last twenty years. And amongst others the most affected community has been the ones who are actually upholding the freedom of speech and expressions. They are the news bearers or the journalists who have taken courage to come out of this prison like society and speak the truth to the world
The sudden and brutal takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban on 15th August 2021 has forced Afghanistan to be one of the terror hubs and victims of the most severe violations of human rights in the world. Today, we denote the world as globalised and we also understand that any citizen would want to uphold their identity with dignity. But in Taliban occupied Afghanistan this identity has been left in a chaotic order. The Taliban are steadily dismantling the human rights gains of the last twenty years. And amongst others the most affected community has been the ones who are actually upholding the freedom of speech and expressions. They are the news bearers or the journalists who have taken courage to come out of this prison like society and speak the truth to the world.
To discuss more on this issue, a webinar was organised by Red Lantern Analytica, a New Delhi based think tank. The webinar was opened by Somya, Research Scholar at Red Lantern Analytica who welcomed the speakers and introduced the moderator. The webinar was moderated by Sania Jamal, Research Scholar, Jamia Millia Islamia.
The first speaker was Mr Abdullah Khenjani, former Deputy Minister of Coordination, Strategy & Policy in Afghanistan’s State Ministry for Peace. In this role, he coordinated the peace process with the Taliban on behalf of the Afghan government.
Mr Khenjani summarised the issue in 10 points. He pointed out that the takeover of Taliban has made various changes and shifts and most of the supportive mechanism including the unions, the journalist federation have disappeared. No government or institution is any longer promoting or supporting free media in Afghanistan. Under Taliban’s oppressive regime self-censorship of the journalists has gone to the highest. In addition to that nearly seven thousand journalist and media workers including the most prominent and leading journalist have left the country and has taken asylum in some other country which resulted in an evident brain drain in the country.
He further opined that, Afghanistan is a traditional country where there is no strong political institutions such as political parties, therefore, media had been playing a critical role in order to criticize the government. Since the takeover by the Taliban, constructive criticism has gone from the traditional media in Afghanistan. He further said that the Taliban is not ready to hear any criticism from the media or even independent commentators. no media could report on corruption, mismanagement, lack of capacity of government or Taliban’s behaviour towards people. No such reports at all.
Next speaker was Ms. Roya Musawi, a journalist, public communicator and writer, who had also served in different national and international organizations in support of human rights, women’s rights, youth, gender equality, IDPs, and returnees.
Ms. Musawi said that since the takeover by the Taliban, the media in Kabul has stopped broadcasting and publishing. The Taliban ordered them to get a work permission from them and then only the media could restart working and under the new working permission if a journalist in a particular province wants to broadcast or publish a report they should send it to the Directorate of Taliban thus there is a visible censorship of media and journalists by the Taliban. She continued by saying that, the fall of the government in Afghanistan, seventy two cases of violence against the journalists across the country have been recorded, of which two have been of killing, one of self-suicide and many of detention, torture, threats. Women journalists in Afghanistan except Kabul are not allowed to go to their offices without a male company. She also added that more than 60% of the journalists have lost their jobs and there is no freedom of speech under the Taliban rule.
The webinar continued with the questions and answers sessions and ended with a vote of thanks by Shaan Chaudhary, Research Scholar, Red Lantern Analytica.
