ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s federal government has dismissed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provincial administration’s plan to engage in direct negotiations with the Taliban, asserting that such matters fall exclusively under federal jurisdiction.
Amir Muqam, Pakistan’s federal minister for states and frontier regions, Kashmir affairs, and Gilgit-Baltistan, said in an interview with Dawn News that diplomatic engagements with foreign governments remain the sole responsibility of Islamabad.
His remarks came in response to KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s recent announcement that his government intended to send a delegation to Afghanistan to discuss bilateral issues. The KP administration has also proposed working with cross-border tribal communities to curb militancy and improve regional security.
The disagreement underscores growing tensions between federal and provincial authorities over Pakistan’s strategy toward Afghanistan and the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the militant group responsible for a surge in attacks inside Pakistan.
Islamabad has repeatedly raised concerns with the Taliban government in Kabul, accusing it of allowing the TTP to use Afghan territory as a base for attacks. The Taliban have denied these allegations.
