ISLAMABAD – Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said that the Afghan government has integrated “hundreds of pro-Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) elements” into its governance structure, raising fresh concerns for regional security.
Addressing a press conference at the Foreign Office on Saturday, Dar revealed that both Pakistan and China had conveyed to Afghanistan their shared concerns over TTP activities. He said Islamabad and Beijing had clearly told Kabul to either take decisive action against the TTP or hand over its militants to Pakistan.
“Pakistan and China both have security concerns. We clearly told Afghanistan either take decisive action against the TTP or hand them over to us. The Afghan government has included hundreds of pro-TTP elements into its governance fold,” Dar stated, hinting at deteriorating bilateral ties.
Dar also disclosed that during his recent meeting with Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul, he was informed that Afghanistan had established 700 border posts to curb cross-border infiltration.
“I do not doubt their intentions, nor has there been resistance from their side regarding our proposals against the TTP. We only have one demand: action against the TTP,” he said.
The deputy premier also commented on Afghanistan’s protest over alleged Pakistani strikes in Nangarhar and Khost. On Thursday, Kabul had summoned Pakistan’s ambassador to lodge a formal demarche. Dar neither confirmed nor denied the strikes, saying:
“There should be investigations regarding Afghanistan’s allegations. I only had time to go through the demarche this morning.”
Regarding the absence of a joint statement after the recent trilateral meeting between China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, Dar remarked that “modern diplomacy has changed,” and each country issuing its own press statements was “as good as a joint statement.”
On a positive note, the foreign minister revealed that China had, in principle, accepted Pakistan’s proposal to extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan. He added that Beijing was also considering linking Kabul with the Peshawar Highway.
