The decree reportedly issued by the Taliban leadership, calling upon the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to halt attacks against Pakistan, is a welcome development. Nonetheless, this development necessitates some concrete verification from the Afghan regime, as it is merely based on media reports. Exterminating the militants, especially the outlawed TTP, has been a fundamental demand from Islamabad, and it is high time Kabul exhibited responsibility to ensure that warlordism is eliminated and serenity is restored on both sides of the border.
Cross-Border Terrorism and Regional Dynamics
It is no revelation that the TTP, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Al-Qaeda, and other groups are using Afghan soil to carry out cross-border terrorist activities. The spike in terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Balochistan manifests their jingoism, and the Taliban 2.0 dispensation is squarely to be blamed for that. Trust deficit between Afghanistan and Pakistan sits at the heart of this issue and must be resolved earnestly.
Pakistan's Military and Diplomatic Efforts
The military option that Pakistan exercised against the militants holed up inside Afghanistan came only after Kabul's admitted failure to act against their 'guests' for reasons of political exigency. Pakistan has time and again reached out to the Taliban rulers and engaged them in talks. The Urumqi dialogue held under Chinese mediation in April is a case in point. However, all these efforts failed to materialize due to Kabul's apparent contempt toward Islamabad and its growing alignment with New Delhi's strategic interests, which permits extraterritorial activities that complicate regional dynamics.
Need for Clear Stance from Taliban Leadership
Meanwhile, Taliban supreme commander Mullah Hibatullah Akhunzada must make his stance clear regarding the reported decree banning TTP attacks against Pakistan. It is worth appreciating, however, that last year more than 2,000 Afghan religious scholars pronounced an edict against terrorism. That pronouncement must be heard in the corridors of power of the revulsion-ridden country. The Afghan rulers must condemn terrorism and act against the TTP and similar groups, flushing them out of Afghanistan. Relocating them or silencing them tactfully for a while is no solution. The menace of terrorism must be uprooted branch and root.
