The cabinet of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has passed a resolution denouncing the federal government’s policy towards Afghanistan as “ineffective”. The cabinet members called for an immediate review of these policies.
According to the resolution, the current approach has fuelled rising terrorism, heightened tensions between the two countries, deepened public resentment, and disrupted cross-border trade.
The resolution was adopted during a cabinet meeting held on Friday, chaired by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.
Both the chief minister and cabinet members called for swift and concrete measures to rebuild trust between Pakistan and Afghanistan and to lay the foundation for lasting peace in the region.
Dawn newspaper reported that the resolution urged the provincial government to pressure federal authorities to urgently revise and reform its Afghanistan policy.
In addition, the cabinet demanded greater provincial autonomy to “play an effective role in resolving all outstanding issues through direct and meaningful dialogue with Afghanistan, so that lasting peace and stability in the region can be achieved.”
The resolution also underscored the fact that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has endured terrorism for decades, and that its people continue to seek a lasting solution to this ongoing crisis.
Chief Minister Gandapur has previously called on the federal government to formally delegate to him the responsibility of negotiating with the Afghan Taliban, arguing that dialogue with the Taliban represents the only viable path to peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In response, officials in Islamabad have maintained that provincial authorities do not have the mandate to conduct foreign policy or engage in negotiations with Taliban representatives.
