Mullah Sherin Akhund, a senior Afghan Taliban figure and governor of Kandahar province, is expected to arrive in Islamabad early next month in a fresh bid to resolve the stalemate in bilateral ties over the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) issue.
Mullah Sherin’s interactions in Islamabad will include meetings with intelligence and Foreign Office officials.
The visit follows efforts by the Afghan Taliban to reduce tensions with Pakistan concerning the outlawed TTP. In a similar vein, the Taliban previously invited Maulana Fazlur Rehman of the JUI-F to Kabul, hoping he would facilitate dialogue.
The FO, however, downplayed the significance of Mr Rehman’s trip saying it was an invitation for a private individual.
Mullah Sherin, a key figure in the Afghan Taliban, has played various roles in the group’s military and political spheres. His close ties to the senior leadership and involvement in significant Taliban activities make him a prominent and influential member of the Afghan rulers’ leadership structure.
He has previously been engaging with Pakistan, and is known to have liaised with the TTP on behalf of the Taliban administration.
The ongoing stalemate over the TTP issue has strained Pakistan-Afghanistan relations, exacerbated by the TTP’s terrorist activities in Pakistan and Kabul’s failure to act against the group operating from Afghan territory.
