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Pakistan’s PM claims TTP ‘resides’ and has training camps in Afghanistan
Pakistan’s Caretaker Prime Minister, Anwar ul Haq Kakar said this week that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) does “reside on Afghan soil” and that they even have training camps in the country.
In an interview with TRT this week, he said: “We do raise such issues with them (the IEA), there are training camps over there, on their soil (Afghanistan) which is a point of concern for us.”
He added however that Islamabad was not entirely sure whether “it’s all intentional,” and questioned whether the TTP enjoys “the patronage of that government (IEA).” That remains to be seen, he said, adding that Islamabad does not want to complicate the “relationship (with Afghanistan) as far as our security operations are concerned.”
Kakar went on to say that Pakistan is looking “at that complex web and trying to draw the right conclusion and devise our security policy accordingly.”
He denied Pakistan’s direct involvement in having helped bring the IEA back into the political arena and said instead “the Taliban (IEA) was actually acknowledged by the United States and its allies as one of the important players in Afghanistan.”
He went on to say however that Pakistan did play a role “of encouragement” prior to August 2021, as it was of the view that the IEA was “an important player in Afghan society.”
He said negotiating with a group like the IEA, pre-August 2021, had been a global challenge, and that Pakistan had been a “participant” in the “big picture”.
Kakar stated that while Pakistan did give its input, there was nothing they did that he regrets. He also said that leading up to the collapse of the former government many “powers” and international groups had been in a “rush to leave” Afghanistan.
They are the ones that should have thought about a political settlement, about creating an environment where the various groups and parties in Afghanistan could have held negotiations. This did not happen, and the government at the time had not even been included in talks, he said.
This exit strategy had been planned by the rest of the world, not Pakistan, he said.
Kakar stated that Pakistan has lost a total of about 90,000 people to terrorism but stated Pakistan has been successful in fighting the scourge and will continue to fight it.
The IEA meanwhile has repeatedly rejected claims that the TTP operate out of Afghanistan. The Islamic Emirate has said on numerous occasions that no group will be allowed to threaten another country from Afghanistan.
Roza Otunbayeva, Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), recently visited the city of Maimana in northern Afghanistan, where she met with local officials, entrepreneurs, and UN staff.
UNAMA wrote on its Facebook page on Sunday, that during the visit, entrepreneurs — including women — met with Otunbayeva, and requested support to facilitate access to new markets, particularly in Uzbekistan.
UNAMA further stated that among these entrepreneurs was a group of women who, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), had established a tailoring workshop.
They expressed their appreciation for the support received and spoke about the significant growth and development of their business.
UNAMA added that the organization remains committed to promoting economic opportunities and empowering Afghan communities, especially women.
Anand Prakash, head of the Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan Division of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, met with Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul for talks on various issues.
According to a press release issued Sunday by the Afghan Foreign Ministry, bilateral political relations, trade, transit and recent political developments in the region were discussed in the meeting.
Muttaqi stressed the need for the expansion of diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries and explained that Afghanistan currently offers favorable opportunities for investment. He said Indian investors should take advantage of these opportunities.
He also said that facilities should be created for the movement of people between Afghanistan and India and the issuance of visas for medical purposes, students and businessmen should return to normal.
Meanwhile, Prakash said that relations with Afghanistan are important for India and he hopes that these relations will expand further in various fields.
He stressed that India will continue its cooperation with Afghanistan and wants to invest in some infrastructure projects and restart projects that were paused for some time.
The two sides also emphasized the expansion of relations, the exchange of delegations, visa facilitation and bilateral cooperation.
Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has said in a phone call with his Uzbek counterpart that Afghanistan is fully prepared for the implementation of the Trans-Afghan railway project.
During the call, the two sides discussed strengthening bilateral and multilateral relations, as well as expanding political, economic and transit cooperation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul said in a statement on Sunday.
Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov noted that Afghanistan’s exports to Uzbekistan have tripled in the first four months of 2025 compared to last year. He vowed to create more facilities in the field of trade and transit between the two countries, especially in issuing visas to Afghan citizens.
Meanwhile, Amir Khan Muttaqi said that Afghanistan is fully prepared for the implementation of major economic projects such as the Trans-Afghan railway project and for the strengthening of political, trade and transit cooperation with Uzbekistan. He said that the existing opportunities should be utilized for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
The two sides also discussed the holding of a trilateral meeting between Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan at the level of foreign ministers and agreed to coordinate through diplomatic channels to determine the exact date and place of the meeting.
The three neighboring countries signed an agreement in February 2021 to construct a 573-kilometer railway line through Afghanistan, connecting landlocked Central Asia to Pakistan seaports, with an estimated cost of $4.8 billion to enhance regional economic connectivity.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with Uzbek foreign minister last Thursday to discuss the Trans-Afghan railway project.
Dar expressed hope that the three countries would soon sign a framework agreement on this important regional project.
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