PESHAWAR – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will send two delegations to Afghanistan to strengthen cross-border tribal diplomacy and promote economic and social ties.
According to the media reports, the first delegation will be tasked to create a conducive environment for talks. The second delegation, comprising various stakeholders, will hold negotiations on different bilateral issues.
Adviser to KP Chief Minister Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif, who is also a focal person to coordinate KP-Kabul talks, confirmed the development on Sunday, saying that the province will send two delegations to Afghanistan for negotiation on various issues.
Last year, Ali Amin Gundapur led the KP government and floated the proposal of direct talks with Kabul to address the issue of terrorism. The idea surfaced in the aftermath of the security situation in the KP and months-long turmoil in the Kurram region.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan backed the idea, which was termed as a direct attack on the federation by certain quarters.
Despite that, the KP government reiterated its stance of sending a jirga to Kabul for talks. Ali Amin Gundapur led the KP government; however, made it clear that it would remain in contact with the federal government on the issue of talks with Kabul.
Pakistan shares a porous border spanning around 2,500 kilometres with Afghanistan. It has several crossings which serve as passages for regional trade and interaction of people on both sides.
Pakistan has urged Afghanistan to prevent its soil from being used by groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to carry out cross-border attacks.
According to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), KP and Balochistan remained the worst-affected provinces from increased terrorist attacks from Afghanistan soil.
