Up to 6,000 TTP militants have taken shelter in Afghanistan: Pakistani envoy

Pakistan’s Special Representative on Afghanistan Asif Durrani has said Islamabad has evidence that the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is getting money from India through Afghan proxies, estimating that 5,000 to 6,000 TTP militants have taken shelter in Afghanistan.

“If we include their families, then the number goes up to 70,000,” Durrani said on Saturday while speaking at a programme hosted by an Islamabad-based think tank on the Afghan peace process, Dawn newspaper reported.

Consultation on “Afghan peace and reconciliation: Pakistan’s interests and policy options” was the 12th one in a series of discussions organised by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS).

Durrani said Pakistan, during talks, had told Kabul that the latter needed to make TTP surrender and disarm the group and detain its leadership. He added that “TTP is the red line for Pakistan”.

Referring to the Pakistan-Afghan border crossing issue, the envoy said Islamabad should implement the one-document regime on all border crossings with Afghanistan.

However, the Islamic Emirate rejects the presence of TTP or any other armed group in Afghanistan, emphasizing that Afghanistan is not a threat to any country, including neighboring countries.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, says that Durrani’s claims have not been confirmed by Pakistani authorities.