PESHAWAR, March 22: The chief minister of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province has said that negotiating with the Taliban-led Afghan government is necessary for establishing lasting peace in the region, as he offered to take charge of talks.
Talking to journalists at an iftar party in Islamabad on Friday evening, CM Ali Amin Gandapur claimed that he had drafted a negotiation plan involving tribal elders from all agencies and sent it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Interior.
However, two and a half months later, he is yet to receive a response, he added.
Related Posts:
He also claimed he could bring the Taliban to the negotiation table, provided the concerned authorities assigned him this task, as dialogue is the only viable solution.
“Sit with the Taliban across the table, hold talks with them, it is the only solution,” Gandapur said.
He asserted that the Taliban would not refuse to negotiate with tribal elders. He said that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman no longer holds influence over the Taliban.
Gandapur, a key leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), expressed confidence that he could hold discussions with Afghan Taliban’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada any day but clarified that no contact had been established with the outfit yet.
“I will hold talks with Akhunzada,” the Express Tribune newspaper quoted him as saying.
“Right now, I have no contact with the Taliban, but if I am sent, we will make it work,” he added.
The chief minister also asserted that no political dialogue could take place without the release of PTI founder Imran Khan, stressing that the country’s political stability was contingent upon the release of the former prime minister.
He insisted that political stability in Pakistan could be achieved only by releasing the PTI founder as conditions were normal before the Khan-led government was ousted and claimed that terrorism and instability have since escalated.
Gandapur highlighted the importance of public support in combating terrorism, stating that no battle could be won without the people’s backing.
Reiterating the need for negotiations with Afghanistan, Gandapur underlined that Pakistan shares thousands of kilometres of border with Afghanistan.
He criticised opposition to his calls for dialogue.
He also emphasises the need for a national dialogue to bring stability and improvement to the country.
Pakistan and Afghanistan share a 2,500-kilometer porous border, with multiple crossing points that play a crucial role in trade and people-to-people exchanges.
In recent months, tensions along the border have escalated, particularly in areas like Kurram, which has witnessed prolonged instability.
Owing to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s security situation including the months-long turmoil in the Kurram region, Gandapur in September 2024 put out a proposal of holding direct talks with Afghanistan to address terrorism concerns for lasting peace in the restive bordering regions.
In September last year, he floated the idea of direct talks with the Afghan government to address terrorism-related issues. (PTI)
