Pakistan has presented “irrefutable evidence” to the Afghan Taliban about the presence of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts and the precise location of its leadership in Afghanistan.
The evidence was shared during the visit of a high-powered delegation led by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif to Kabul on Wednesday.
Contrary to the statement issued by the Afghan government, the visit had only one point agenda focusing on counter-terrorism and the presence of the TTP sanctuaries on Afghan soil.
It was the first high-level visit from Pakistan since the change of government and particularly after the surge in TTP sponsored terrorist attacks.
There was a shift in Pakistan’s stance on the TTP after the recent spike in terrorist attacks, with the country’s civil and military leadership no longer seeking talks with the terrorist outfit.
Against this backdrop, the Pakistani delegation not only shared what sources said was “irrefutable evidence” about the presence of TTP leadership but sought decisive action with “no ifs and buts”.
What was significant during the visit was that the Pakistani side, for the first time, confronted the Afghan Taliban leadership with evidence that TTP leadership was freely moving in Afghanistan and, notably, with the facilitation of the interim government.
The Afghan side gave a detailed briefing to the Pakistani side and conceded that terrorism originated from Afghan soil. The Pakistani delegation was presented with different options and solutions to deal with the problem. However, the Pakistani side wanted more from the presentation and proposals to resolve the TTP issue.
