Taliban Talks Beyond Provincial Jurisdiction, Says Pak Minister
Amir Muqam, Pakistan’s Minister for States and Frontier Regions, has stated that negotiations with the Taliban do not fall under the authority of Pakistan’s provincial governments.
Amir Muqam, Pakistan’s Minister for States and Frontier Regions, has stated that negotiations with the Taliban do not fall under the authority of Pakistan’s provincial governments.
Earlier, Ali Amin Gandapur, the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, had announced that a delegation of "tribal elders" would soon be sent to Afghanistan for talks with the Taliban.
Gandapur had remarked that Pakistan’s federal government had been unsuccessful in establishing peace with neighbouring countries.
However, speaking with Dawn News, Muqam clarified: "Negotiations with Afghanistan are not the domain of the provincial government; it is a federal subject."
The Pakistani minister stressed that if a province wishes to engage in talks with a foreign country, it must first seek approval from the federal government. He questioned, "If the province negotiates on its own behalf, then who will implement the commitments made during the talks?"
Pakistani officials have accused the Afghan Taliban of providing refuge to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and allowing them to use Afghan territory to launch attacks in Pakistan.
The Taliban have repeatedly denied these allegations, insisting that Pakistani officials are attempting to shift blame for their own failure to ensure national security onto the Afghan Taliban.
