Pakistan’s defense minister claimed that the Taliban requested 10 billion rupees from Pakistan to move members of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from Afghanistan’s border areas to other parts of the country.
Khawaja Asif, Pakistan’s Defense Minister, claimed in an interview with Geo News on the morning of January 1 that the Taliban requested Pakistan to pay 10 billion Pakistani rupees for moving the TTP members from border areas to other regions of Afghanistan.
He added that Pakistan had agreed to this request, but asked the Taliban to provide assurances that the TTP members would not return to Pakistan.
Asif continued, “During this meeting, Mullah Yaqub, Amir Khan Muttaqi, Serajuddin Haqqani, and Mullah Shirin, the governor of the province, were present. I told them that if the TTP is not stopped, we will have no choice but to act, and they should not complain later. You say you will move them to the western provinces, but what guarantee is there that they will not return?”
Pakistani officials have repeatedly accused Afghanistan of sheltering TTP members, but Taliban considers these accusations baseless and a result of Pakistan’s internal failures.
Last week, Pakistan bombed a camp for Waziristani refugees in Paktia province, killing 46 people. In retaliation, the Taliban Ministry of Defense attacked several Pakistani border posts.
The accusation from Pakistan regarding the Taliban’s alleged demand of money for relocating TTP members raises significant questions about the nature of the relationship between the two countries.
Taliban firmly denies such claims, maintaining that they are a diversion from Pakistan’s internal issues. While there are genuine security concerns on both sides, the ongoing blame game between Pakistan and Taliban does not contribute to resolving the underlying issues of terrorism and border security.
Furthermore, there is the issue of cross-border terrorism, which deteriorates regional security. Until both nations agree to cooperate more effectively, the security challenges along the porous border regions are likely to persist.
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