Pakistan urges Islamic Emirate to relocate TTP to Afghanistan, sources say

Sources in Turkey have told Ariana News that the Afghan delegation at the Istanbul talks shared its views with the mediators, but the Pakistani side raised certain demands that have no connection to Afghanistan.

According to the sources, the Islamabad delegation asked Afghanistan to relocate the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group from Pakistan into Afghanistan.

The sources added that it is weird that, on one hand, Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of sheltering TTP members within its territory, yet on the other hand, it is itself requesting the transfer of such groups like the TTP into Afghanistan.

The sources emphasized that Afghanistan never wishes to create a major problem for itself under pressure.

According to the sources, the legitimate demands of the Islamic Emirate that Pakistan’s territory and airspace not be used by other country or by Daesh against Afghanistan — have not been accepted by Islamabad.

This comes as Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Tahir Andrabi said that a new round of talks with the Islamic Emirate began yesterday in Istanbul, during which the Pakistani delegation presented its evidence-based demands to the mediators with the aim of ending militant attacks.

Andrabi said at a press conference on Friday that the mediators are currently holding discussions with IEA regarding Pakistan’s demands.