Signs of rift emerges between Pakistan and Taliban

New Delhi: Signs of cracks are emerging between Pakistan and the Taliban over Durand Line row and Islamic Emirate support for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

When the Taliban took over the Afghan capital Kabul, in August last year, many in Islamabad cheered. However, the disagreements over the demarcation of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and support for the TTP have caused tensions, reported The Frontier Post.

If no resolution is reached on these issues, it could cause a rift in relations with significant consequences for both Pakistan’s national security and regional stability, said the publication.

The Durand Line was demarcated between British-ruled India and Afghanistan in 1893. Since the establishment of Pakistan in 1947, Kabul has not only objected to the border demarcation, but has also challenged the inclusion of Pashtun tribal areas within Pakistani borders.

In recent years, the problem has persisted, with both former Afghan presidents, Hamid Karzai, and Ashraf Ghani, reaffirming the Afghan rejection of the Durand Line. The Taliban has stuck to the same traditional stance and is showing no signs of making concessions to Pakistan.

In recent days, engagement between the two sides failed to make any progress on the issue. In late January, Pakistan’s National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf visited Kabul but was only able to negotiate a bilateral coordination mechanism to facilitate border crossing movement and trade; the border fence issue remained unaddressed, reported The Frontier Post.

Another source of tensions between Kabul and Islamabad has been the TTP. The armed group fought alongside the Afghan Taliban against the US and its allies for years and the two have a strong bond. When the Taliban took power on August 15, they set free hundreds of TTP men, including some prominent leaders, incarcerated in Afghan jails.

Since it was founded in 2007, the TTP has been responsible for deadly violence in Pakistan, attacking both security forces and civilians.
A ceasefire between the armed group and the Pakistani military negotiated with the help of the Afghan Taliban government in November was short-lived.

The TTP resumed their attacks in December against security forces and civilians, even as secret talks with representatives of the Pakistani government have continued.

So far, the mediation of the Afghan Taliban has not produced any significant results and its support for the TTP continues. If violence in Pakistan escalates, that could put more strain on Kabul-Islamabad relations, reported The Frontier Post.

So far, there are no indications that the border issue between Afghanistan and Pakistan can be resolved, as the Taliban appears quite eager to maintain the Pashtun unity rhetoric.

If this issue continues to fester, it could provide fertile ground for further border incidents that could spark tensions.

Similarly, despite efforts by the Pakistani government to engage in talks with the TTP, peace with the armed group seems quite unlikely, given internal pressure to maintain its violent direction.