Pakistan’s Defense Minister, Khawaja Asif, revealed on Wednesday that Taliban had requested 10 billion Pakistani rupees ($35.93 million) to relocate members of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from border areas to other parts of Afghanistan.
Speaking to Geo News, Mr. Asif said that Pakistan agreed to the request on the condition that the Taliban provide guarantees ensuring the TTP fighters would not return to Pakistan.
According to Mr. Asif, the Taliban have yet to respond positively to this demand.
“In this meeting, Mullah Yaqoob, Amir Khan Muttaqi, Sirajuddin Haqqani, and Mullah Shireen were present,” Mr. Asif said, referring to his Kabul visit in February 2023. “I told them that if the TTP is not stopped, we will have to take action, and they should not complain afterward. You say they will be moved to western provinces, but what guarantees are there that they won’t come back?”
Rising tensions over TTP presence
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban of providing support to the TTP, allegations the Taliban have denied. However, the United Nations monitoring report estimates that around 6,000 TTP fighters are currently based in Afghanistan.
TTP has claimed responsibility for numerous deadly attacks targeting Pakistan’s military and security forces.
Nearly two weeks ago, Pakistan conducted an airstrike in Paktika province, which the Taliban said targeted a camp of Waziristani refugees in the Barmal district. Taliban reported 46 casualties in the strike, while Pakistani media claimed that around 70 TTP members were killed.
