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TTP Will Still Be Threat to Regional Stability, Even After Relocation: Journalist

© AP Photo / Ebrahim NorooziA Taliban fighter checks an Islamic State group house that was destroyed in the ongoing conflict between the two in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023.
A Taliban fighter checks an Islamic State group house that was destroyed in the ongoing conflict between the two in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023. - Sputnik India, 1920, 20.06.2023
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The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan* (TTP) group is a banned Islamic militant organization blamed for carrying out a series of attacks against Pakistani security forces. Their leadership is based in Afghanistan.
A senior Pakistani journalist who has spent nearly two decades covering the conflict in Afghanistan and Pakistan has said that the Taliban** is trying to resolve the TTP issue promptly.

Syed Fakhar Kakakhel, a Peshawar-based senior journalist, who specializes in covering politics and militancy in Afghanistan and Pakistan, made his remarks amid reports that Afghanistan's Taliban rulers were contemplating moving TTP fighters from the frontier regions bordering Pakistan following intense pressure from Islamabad.
When asked if the initiative could pose a security risk for the region, the Pakistani author agreed.

"During its stay in Afghanistan, the TTP established links with other militant outfits including Central Asian ones, so now even Afghan Taliban are trying to solve TTP issue as soon as possible," Kakakhel told Sputnik on Tuesday.

While Taliban authorities have remained tight-lipped about the issue and chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has even dismissing such reports, Kakakhel noted that there was some truth to the news.

"Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has denied reports of TTP fighters relocation in other parts of Afghanistan away from Pakistan's border. We have talked to different TTP sources and all of them were unaware of these developments," he pointed out.

However, some TTP families moved to other parts of Afghanistan on their own much before the current statement.
Pakistan Army troops patrol along the fence on the Pakistan Afghanistan border at Big Ben hilltop post in Khyber district, Pakistan, Aug. 3, 2021. - Sputnik India, 1920, 04.06.2023
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Another issue is that TTP elements are active inside Pakistan. They have support and funding from their leadership in Afghanistan but their operational fighters are inside Pakistan.
That poses a major threat to Pakistan from within. So now there are reports that the government and TTP are rethinking the dialogue initiative that was halted during the previous government.

Political Situation Inside Pakistan

Similarly, Kakakhel was asked to share his views on Pakistan Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif's statement wherein he promoted dialogue between political parties, the judiciary, and the bureaucracy to break the current logjam in the South Asian country.

Asif's remarks come at a precarious time for Islamabad, given that Pakistan is in the midst of an economic, and political crisis.
The Shehbaz Sharif-led government has cracked down on the opposition spearheaded by former premier Imran Khan following violent protests that shook Pakistan after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief's arrest last month.

The Islamic nation's economy has borne the brunt of this political instability, and Pakistan only has enough reserves to sustain imports for a month. Additionally, the ruling coalition has unsuccessfully tried to secure a bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and is now looking toward China for fresh capital to avert a sovereign default.

In this context, the Pakistani defense minister has urged opposition groups to forget their differences and come together in the nation's interest.

Kakakhel mentioned that it was an old demand of intellectuals and progressive national political forces to initiate dialogue to adopt a new social contract. There were also demands of forming a national "Truth and Reconciliation Commission" to address the emerging national political crises.

"In my opinion, it is the need of the hour to establish unity, promote resilience, and find more creative ways to counter the current crises in the country. Currently, the country is facing the worst economic situation. But still, I believe that steps can be taken through parliament and state institutions," he concluded.

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks during a news conference at his home, in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, May 18, 2023. - Sputnik India, 1920, 27.05.2023
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* a terrorist organization banned in Russia and India
** under UN sanctions for terrorism
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