Kabul/Islamabad: The Taliban has snubbed Pakistan, which accuses the Islamist regime of Afghanistan of harbouring Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and sent back red-faced a high-level delegation, led by Pakistan Defence Minister Khwaja Asif, which visited Kabul earlier this week.
Asif’s delegation, which significantly included Chief of Pakistan’s Intelligence Agency ISI Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum, encountered unfriendly and bitter attitude of the Taliban, which slammed Pakistan for allowing its territory to be used by US drones for attacks in Afghanistan, according to details emerging.
The meeting between the delegations of Khwaja Asif and Deputy Prime Minister of Taliban regime Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul on February 22 saw a bitter blame-game between the two sides, with the latter refusing to accept that it was harbouring terrorists inimical to Pakistan.
The Pakistan delegation, on its part, had landed in Kabul with a so-called ‘dossier’ regarding activities of TTP and claiming that “terror” attacks in Pakistan had “links” in Afghanistan.
The Taliban delegation, which included Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, was not impressed with the ‘dossier’ and told the Pakistan delegation that the Afghan regime is not sheltering TTP and nor is it aware of any bases of TTP in Afghanistan, according to reports and people aware of the developments.
Pakistan has been unnerved by an open war declared by the TTP, which has carried out a number of big and small attacks on the Pakistani Army, Paramilitary forces, Police and Secret agencies after ending ceasefire in November last year.
The TTP, which ended the ceasefire after accusing the Pakistani forces of carrying out oppression against its cadres and their families, has been insisting that it operates from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan and has no bases in Afghanistan.
According to reports and sources, Baradar told Khawaja Asif that if the Taliban regime were to believe what the Pakistan regime was saying, it would need monetary resources to verify that and then act, and those finances should come from Pakistan.
With the Taliban regime refusing to play ball, Pakistan threatened to act on its own by carrying out cross-border attacks at the places where it suspects TTP operates from.
This threat was received with anger from the Taliban delegation, which reminded the Pakistan team about the fate the US had to face.
The Taliban delegation said Pakistan was already guilty of allowing American drones to operate from its territory.
The Taliban delegation also held Pakistan responsible for the repeated armed clashes along the Duran Line, which Islamabad treats as a border but the Islamist regime of Afghanistan does not recognise it.
