KP to send two delegations to Afghanistan for tribal diplomacy, economic ties

PESHAWAR: Revealing a major development on the diplomatic front, Adviser to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif on Sunday said that the provincial government would dispatch two delegations to Afghanistan to hold talks with Kabul. As per the terms of references (ToRs), two delegations will be dispatched to Kabul with the first one tasked with creating a conducive environment for talks and handling diplomatic matters whereas the second one will comprise various stakeholders.

The development comes against the backdrop of increased terrorist incidents in Pakistan which Islamabad has time and again blamed on outlawed groups based in Kabul — something vehemently denied by the Afghan Taliban-led administration.

The two nations share a porous border spanning around 2,500 kilometres with several crossing points which hold significance as a key element of regional trade and relations between the people across both sides of the fence.

However, the issue of terrorism remains a key issue for Pakistan which has urged Afghanistan to prevent its soil from being used by groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to carry out attacks inside the former’s territory.

Islamabad’s reservations have also been confirmed by a report submitted to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) by the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, which has revealed a nexus between Kabul and the TTP with the former providing logistical, operational and financial support to the latter.

Furthermore, this is also evident from the statistics compiled by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) which show that KP and Balochistan — both of whom abut Afghanistan — have remained the worst-affected provinces from increased terrorist attacks which witnessed a surge of 42% last month compared to December 2024. Owing to the KP’s security situation — including the months-long turmoil in the Kurram region — KP CM 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. The announcement, backed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, received flak from the federal government which termed it as a direct attack on the federation. Nevertheless, the chief minister went on to reiterate his stance earlier this month saying that the KP government would send a jirga to the neighbouring country. The provincial chief executive, while speaking at a session titled “National Unity Against Terrorism”, as reported by The News on Sunday, again linked KP’s peace to the situation in the neighbouring country while calling for purposeful and result-oriented government-level negotiations with the Afghan authorities. As per the ToRs prepared by his government, the purpose of sending the delegation is to strengthen cross-border tribal diplomacy and promote economic and social relations.

With nominating Barrister Saif as the focal person for coordination for the KP-Kabul talks, the ToRs further state that the provincial government will remain in contact with the Centre as it undertakes a key diplomatic task.