Pak Official Claims Peace Talks Failed With TTP Due to Their Unreasonable Demands

The parties also reached an agreement to enhance transit transportation through Afghanistan.

Ismatilla Ergashev, Uzbekistan’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, was also present in this meeting.

On Tuesday, Hamidullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s Minister of Transportation and Aviation, arrived in Uzbekistan. According to Uzbek media reports, he and Ilhom Makhkamov, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Transport, reviewed the bilateral cooperation between both the countries.

Further details of this meeting have not yet been disclosed.

Reports indicate that the meeting discussed issues related to accelerating the implementation of the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway project.

Taliban, Uzbekistan and Pakistan signed an agreement on the railway route known as "Trans-Afghan" in Islamabad in July.

However, no country has recognised the Taliban regime so far, and the implementation of the project remains unclear.

The plan for the "Trans-Afghan" railway line connecting Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan was introduced in 2018 with the goal of establishing an economic corridor linking Central Asia to the Indian Ocean waters.

The construction cost of this railway is estimated to exceed USD 4.5 billion, spanning a length of 573 kilometres. Beginning from Termez, the railway traverses the cities of Mazar-e-Sharif and Kabul in Afghanistan before reaching Peshawar in Pakistan.

Kakavand also announced the discovery of “500 kilograms of methamphetamine of Afghan origin” in Hormozgan province.

On Thursday, the IRIB News Agency quoted Kakavand as stating that approximately 470 tonnes of narcotics were seized in Iran over a period of nine months.

Also, the Iranian authorities have announced the arrest of 2,859 retailers and smugglers during this period.

At the same time, Ali Akbar Javidan, the police chief of Hormozgan province, said that in the last 24 hours, about two tonnes of drugs were discovered in this province.

While the Taliban in Afghanistan claim to have reduced drug cultivation and trafficking over two years, Iranian authorities consistently refute these reports, saying that the claim is not accurate.

The bomber, identified as Sifatullah from Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, reportedly traveled to Afghanistan last year via Torkham and returned covertly, lacking legal documentation for his re-entry into Pakistan.

The CTD's investigation utilized car serial numbers and SIM card tracking to identify Sifatullah. On December 12, a group of six suicide bombers, including Sifatullah, targeted a security forces’ base in Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, leading to the death of 23 soldiers and injuring several others. The attack, claimed by Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan, began with an explosives-laden car ramming into the base.

Further investigations revealed two of the bombers, including Sifatullah, were of Afghan origin. Nine individuals, six of them Afghans, have been detained for allegedly aiding the attack. Hasan Afghani, another bomber, released a video message prior to the attack.

The CTD's findings indicate connections between the attackers and the Afghan Taliban, a claim confirmed by Sifatullah's father. However, Pakistani officials' assertions of militant activities in Afghanistan targeting Pakistani forces are denied by the Taliban.

The front said that the "battle strongholds in different parts of the country" have been "activated" against the Taliban.

In its statement, NRF emphasised that the Taliban "pulled the US and NATO troops into Afghanistan”.

In recent months, the Afghanistan Freedom Front has been able to carry out several guerrilla attacks on Taliban outposts. However, the NRF’s attacks on the Taliban has been limited.

Taliban officials have said that these two fronts’ attacks are not a serious threat to the group and they have been able to expand its rule over all parts of the country. Taliban’s foreign minister on Sunday had said that the opposition of the Taliban does not control any part of Afghanistan.

In its statement, the Resistance Front urged the people of Afghanistan to unite and collectively work towards bringing an end to the Taliban's rule.

The front has once again emphasised on the formation of the government based on the "will of the people" and according to the "ethnic and cultural diversity" of Afghanistan.

Haqqani reflected on the aftermath of the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, highlighting that power disputes among former anti-Soviet Jihadi leaders sparked the onset of civil wars.

Taliban media reports conveyed Haqqani's remarks on Wednesday, where he discussed his role in the current Taliban administration. Despite having no initial ambition to join the government post-Taliban resurgence, Haqqani stated that his dedication to Afghanistan and its people compelled him to take up a governmental role. He remarked, "I never had the desire to be in a [government] position, but the problems of Afghans and the love for the country compelled me to be in this position."

Haqqani stressed that the Afghan populace grew disillusioned with Jihad due to the internal conflicts and civil wars ignited by disagreements among former leaders.

He advised, "We must learn from the past and proceed with caution." While Haqqani has previously been critical of the Taliban administration, he refrained from elaborating on his comments about selfishness within the current government during his speech on Wednesday.

In the same event, the Taliban's Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, asserted Afghanistan's resilience against reoccupation. He emphasised the failure of the former Soviet Union and other superpowers in Afghanistan, stating that the Afghan spirit rejects foreign domination and refuses to succumb to subjugation.

Abdul Salam Hanafi, the Taliban's Deputy Prime Minister, reminded attendees that the Soviet invasion marked the beginning of immense suffering, including the massacre of religious scholars, the inhumane treatment of university professors and students, and the devastation of Afghan youth. He highlighted the tragic loss of one and a half million lives due to the Soviet aggression.

On the occasion of the 44th anniversary of the Soviet occupation, the Taliban administration released a statement affirming Afghanistan's policy of non-interference and its refusal to permit any violation of its people's rights or internal affairs.

The statement further emphasised the Taliban's desire to foster robust and harmonious international relations based on Islamic principles, ensuring no harm to any party. The Taliban called upon all nations to honour their commitments towards fostering amicable relations grounded in Islamic values.