Following the Taliban religious scholars’ gathering in Kabul, Tahir Andrabi, spokesperson for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, said the resolution from the meeting has not yet reached Islamabad.
He said the gathering could be a positive step in the fight against terrorism, but Islamabad wants a written guarantee from the Taliban and Mullah Hibatullah.
Speaking at his weekly briefing on Thursday, Andrabi said Pakistan welcomes anti-terrorism positions, adding that any review of the resolution depends on receiving its official copy.
Nearly 1,000 pro-Taliban religious scholars from various Afghan provinces met in Kabul on Wednesday, 10 December, and declared in a resolution that no Afghan citizen should participate in battles outside the country’s borders. The resolution emphasised that the Taliban must prevent individuals from leaving Afghanistan to fight.
The Pakistani government has repeatedly said that fighters from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) attack the country’s police and military forces from inside Afghan territory, and has urged the Taliban to take practical steps to stop these attacks.
Rahmatullah Najib, head of the Taliban negotiation team, recently said the Pakistani delegation at the Istanbul talks requested a fatwa from Hibatullah against fighting in Pakistan. The Taliban delegation responded that Hibatullah does not issue fatwas. According to Najib, Pakistan must submit its request to the Taliban’s Darul-Ifta and should not expect fatwas to be issued according to its wishes.
Pakistan had previously asked the Taliban during peace talks in Istanbul and Doha to provide a written assurance that they would help prevent attacks by TTP militants. Islamabad stressed that this guarantee must be official and backed by regional countries in order to stabilise relations between the two sides. The Taliban refused to give such a written commitment, and the talks ended without results.
