FO objects to KP’s decision to send delegations to Afghanistan for talks

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan, while responding to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s decision to send two delegations to Afghanistan for talks, clarified that foreign affairs fall under the federal government’s jurisdiction, not the provinces. 

The KP government finalised the terms of reference (TORs) for two delegations that will visit Afghanistan for discussions aimed at strengthening cross-border tribal diplomacy.

Adviser to the KP Chief Minister on Information Barrister Saif has been designated as the focal person for these talks. 

According to sources, Barrister Saif will lead the initial delegation, comprising tribal elders from border areas and a senior government official, to lay the groundwork for negotiations. A second delegation, which will include multiple stakeholders, will follow for further discussions. 

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The KP government will remain in contact with the federal government regarding these talks, Barrister Saif reportedly said.

However, the FO spokesperson said that while Barrister Saif mentioned coordination with the federal government, foreign relations are a matter strictly handled at the national level.

The decision to send delegations to Afghanistan for dialogue was reportedly taken during an all-party conference (APC) chaired by the KP chief minister on Saturday. The meeting called for immediate government-level negotiations with Afghanistan to address terrorism and improve security. 

According to a HUM News English report, efforts are under way to ease tension with Afghanistan following the airstrikes in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika province at a time when the country’s delegation was holding talks with senior Taliban leaders in Kabul.

An official told that Islamabad is proposing a meeting of Pakistan, China and Russia’s special envoys in Kabul to will help remove the mistrust.

Pakistan’s Special Representative to Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq is expected to travel to China and Russia to discuss the meeting in Kabul, the official said.

The long-awaited visit of Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to Afghanistan is still under consideration. Dar, also the deputy prime minister, had announced in July to visit Kabul but this has not yet materialised. 

Pakistani security sources insist that the strikes on at least four locations on December 24 were aimed at targeting the camps of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is blamed for attacks in Pakistan, mostly Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.