Islamabad now wants talks with Kabul, says KP chief minister

Khyber Pakh­­tun­khwa Chief Mini­ster Ali Amin Gandapur said on Sunday that the federal government now wants talks with Kabul regarding security matters, after rejecting his earlier proposal in this regard.

Speaking to the media, Gandapur said his call for direct negotiations with Afghanistan was dismissed and his statement was taken out of context. Without referring to anyone, he said that when they disagreed earlier, he was compelled to speak out because KP is the province bearing the brunt of these issues, Dawn newspaper reported.

“Now, the federal government has approached me, saying the problems will not be resolved without negotiations (with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan),” he said, regretting that he still did not see any seriousness from the federal government.

The chief minister stressed that Afghanistan, as a neighbouring country, must be engaged in dialogue because the law and order situation in KP could not be resolved without talks.

Referring to militants, Gandapur said that an estimated 16,000 to 18,000 “elements” were operating on the Pakistani side of the border, while 22,000 to 24,000 were present across the border in Afghanistan.

He noted that action could not be taken against militants across the border because once they crossed into Afghan territory, they went out of Pakistan’s reach.

Gandapur also stre­ssed that Pakistan could not afford both a confrontation with Afghanistan and effo­rts to resolve the issues at the same time, especially keeping in view Afgha­nistan’s past successful resistance against superpowers like the United States and the Soviet Union.

Gandapur also criticised the IEA, which he said had failed to maintain peace within its own borders. He acknowledged that multiple international actors rem­ained active in Afghanistan, contributing to longstanding instability along the border.

Pakistani officials have repeatedly claimed that attacks in the country are orchestrated in Afghanistan. The IEA, however, has denied the claims, saying that Afghanistan is not responsible for Pakistan’s “security failure.”