Islamabad says unaware of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province’s decision to engage Kabul on militancy

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Monday it had not been informed about a decision by the government in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province to hold direct talks with Kabul regarding a surge in militancy in the region, saying it would act accordingly once it is formally conveyed about the decision.
The development came a day after a KP government spokesman said the provincial government had decided to send two delegations, comprising tribal elders, religious scholars, and political leaders, to Kabul to engage in direct talks with the Afghan Taliban rulers for peace and stability in the province. It followed a statement by KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, in which he said the security situation in the region was directly linked to the “developments in neighboring Afghanistan,” following a consultative meeting of various religious and political parties in the province.
Pakistan has struggled to contain a surge in militancy in the country, particularly in KP that borders Afghanistan, since a fragile truce between the Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and Islamabad broke down in November 2022. The TTP and other militant groups have frequently targeted security forces convoys and check-posts, besides targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials in recent months.
Shafqat Ali Khan, a spokesperson for Pakistan’s Foreign Office, told Arab News that Pakistan’s foreign relations with any country fall under the domain of the federal government as per the constitution, and in general, a provincial government takes part in a matter involving external affairs only through the federal authorities.
“Under the constitution, foreign relations remain the mandate of the federal government,” he said. “We have not received any communication from them [KP administration] so far and will act accordingly if the KP government contacts foreign ministry.”
Pakistan’s top military and political leadership has blamed the surge in violence on TTP militants launching cross-border attacks from Afghanistan, accusing Kabul of harboring and facilitating them. Afghanistan denies the allegation and says Pakistan’s security is an internal matter of Islamabad.
The TTP continues to get financial and logistical support from Kabul, a United Nations (UN) report said this month, amid Islamabad’s repeated calls for Afghanistan to rein in the group. The ambition and scale of the TTP’s attacks on Pakistan had significantly increased, with over 600 attacks from July to December 2024, the report said.
The KP information department said on Sunday that two separate delegations would soon engage in direct talks with the Afghan Taliban in Kabul to address key issues, including cross-border security, economic cooperation and trade. Provincial government spokesperson Muhammad Ali Saif would be the focal person and will also be part of all delegations in this regard, it added.
“Both delegations will visit Kabul soon as the government has finalized the Terms of Reference (TORs) for the tribal elders,” Saif told Arab News in a statement sent by his office on Monday.
The KP government will formally notify the federal government about the initiative and ensure it is aligned with Pakistan’s foreign and security policies, according to the TOR document seen by Arab News.
“No commitments will be made that override Pakistan’s national security framework or diplomatic stance and a detailed briefing document will be shared with federal authorities before the engagement,” the document said.
The KP government proposes sending a delegation of tribal elders, religious scholars, and political leaders to engage with their Afghan counterparts and address mutual concerns, particularly peace, security, cross-border trade and economic cooperation, through “tribal diplomacy,” according to the document.
“Objectives of the delegations included strengthening cross-border tribal diplomacy, confidence-building measures between tribal communities and authorities in both countries, and facilitating dialogue on regional peace and stability,” it read.
Another aim is to address cross-border security concerns by engaging tribal elders to “dissuade terrorist organizations from using Afghan territory for launching attacks in Pakistan and seek cooperation in monitoring and preventing TTP and other militant groups’ movement across the border,” according to the TORs.
“[The delegations will] discuss initiatives to enhance health care, education, and livelihood opportunities,” the document said, adding that the discussions would also focus on cross-border humanitarian and cultural initiatives for safe movement of people across the border for medical treatment, trade and social engagements.