Pakistani FM claims IEA integrated hundreds of TTP supporters into government

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Mohammad Ishaq Dar, has claimed that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has integrated hundreds of supporters of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) into its government structure.

Following Pakistan’s recent airstrikes on Khost and Nangarhar provinces, Ishaq Dar expressed concerns about the presence of TTP members in Afghan territory during a press conference in Islamabad.

He called on IEA to either distance these members from the Durand Line or hand them over to Islamabad.

“Both Pakistan and China have security concerns. We have clearly told Afghanistan to either take decisive action against the Pakistani Taliban or hand them over to us. The Afghan government has integrated hundreds of TTP supporters into its government structure. However, up until now, the Afghan government has neither rejected our request nor taken any action against this group,” said Ishaq Dar.

He emphasized that during his previous visit to Kabul, he raised this issue with IEA officials and asked them to take necessary measures to control the border areas between the two countries.

However, Dar refrained from answering reporters’ questions regarding Wednesday night’s airstrike by Pakistani drones on Khost and Nangarhar provinces. He stressed that an investigation is underway.

He said, “I am still reviewing the issue through the available systems. Our ambassador has received Kabul’s protest letter. This matter requires investigation; we need to review the situation and the reasons behind it. At this moment, it’s too early to comment.”

Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate has repeatedly denied the presence of TTP members on Afghan soil and considers the accusations from Pakistan as baseless.

On Friday, Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, the Afghan Minister of Defense, also emphasized in an interview with the BBC that by blaming Afghanistan for the attacks, Pakistan is attempting to conceal the weaknesses of its own security institutions.

This comes after Pakistani drones carried out attacks on Khost and Nangarhar provinces on Wednesday night, resulting in the deaths of three civilians and injuries to seven others, including women and children.

Following the attack, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Pakistani ambassador in Kabul, and the Ministry of Defense warned that these attacks would not go unanswered.