Pakistan envoy says TTP is ‘red line’, hopes IEA will take action

Pakistan’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan Asif Khan Durrani on Tuesday said the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group was the country’s “red line” and there were hopes that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) would take effective action against the militant group.

“Terrorism emanating out of Afghanistan is a concern not only for Pakistan but other neighbouring countries like China, Iran, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan as well,” Durrani said at a roundtable discussion on “Pak-Afghan Relations: Challenges and Opportunities” at the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) Islamabad, Dawn newspaper reported.

He urged the IEA to take steps against terrorist groups.

At the same time, Durrani said: “We have to deal with the Afghan government with patience and perseverance. Pakistan desires peace and stability in Afghanistan.”

The comments come a day after the Pakistan army announced that it killed three terrorists trying to infiltrate the Pak-Afghan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dir district.

Durrani said Pakistan desired socioeconomic and political conditions in Afghanistan that would facilitate the return of over three million Afghan refugees currently residing in the country.

He urged the international community, especially the UN refugee agency UNHCR, to come up with strategies for the dignified return of Afghan refugees to their homeland.

Durrani shared that the IEA’s efforts for poppy eradication were acknowledged by stakeholders at the UN Doha meeting that concluded earlier this month.

The envoy called for removing obstacles to trade between the two neighbors and the transit of Pakistan’s goods from Afghanistan to Central Asia.

He also called for expediting regional connectivity projects such as the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project and the Casa-1000 power transmission line from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Abrar Hussain, Pakistan’s former ambassador to Afghanistan, has highlighted the importance of border management in the relations between the two countries.

He appreciated people-to-people as well as diplomatic contacts between Afghanistan and Pakistan at the highest levels.

Hussain urged regional countries to assist the IEA in addressing its capacity issues regarding dealing with terrorism emanating out of Afghanistan.

Pakistani officials have repeatedly claimed that the attacks in the country are orchestrated in Afghanistan, but the Islamic Emirate denies the claims, saying Pakistan should look for the problem on its own soil.

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