ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, sharply criticized the country’s previous leadership on Thursday, alleging that hasty and informal decisions facilitated the return of thousands of members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) into the country.
Speaking during a briefing, Mr. Dar attributed the re-entry of 35,000 to 40,000 TTP fighters to poorly considered policies, including decisions reportedly made “over a cup of tea.”
He cited a visit by Faiz Hameed, the former chief of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), to Afghanistan shortly after the collapse of the Afghan government in 2021 as a turning point.
“Who opened the borders and freed TTP members over a cup of tea?” Mr. Dar asked, raising questions about the motivations and consequences of such actions.
The TTP, an insurgent group responsible for a series of violent attacks in Pakistan, has intensified its activities since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021. Pakistani officials have expressed growing concerns over the security fallout, accusing the Taliban of providing shelter and support to TTP militants.
In recent weeks, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif accused the Taliban of demanding 10 billion Pakistani rupees to relocate TTP fighters from areas near the Durand Line, the border dividing Pakistan and Afghanistan, to western Afghanistan. The Taliban has denied the claim.
Relations between the two neighbors have grown increasingly strained, particularly after a Pakistani military airstrike targeted the Barmal district of Paktia Province in Afghanistan. Afghan officials said the strike, which they claimed hit a refugee camp, killed 46 people, including women and children.
