Residents of Takhar and Kunduz provinces in northern Afghanistan are concerned about the steady influx of people moving into the provinces from Pakistan.
Some critics say the families are being moved from Waziristan and that they have links with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) – which will lead to ethnic conflicts.
But people who have relocated to Takhar, said they have come to the province due to the dire situation in Pakistan, citing compelling circumstances that have “left them with no choice”.
“I have come from Pakistan, we are around 20 families and we are friends. The situation in Pakistan is bad. We have been forced to come here,” said Nasir, one of the relocated people.
However, the Junbish-i Milli of Afghanistan Party believes that the Taliban, in collusion with Pakistan, have started relocating members of the TTP militant group and their families to northern Afghanistan.
According to the National Movement of Afghanistan, this relocation is expected to ignite long-standing ethnic tensions in the region.
Bashir Ahmad Tahyanj, a member of the National Movement of Afghanistan, expressed his concerns, stating: “The relocation of Waziristani people to northern Afghanistan is the start of a problem, the start of a tragedy, and the beginning of long-term ethnic conflicts. We hope that the international community and other stakeholders in Afghanistan’s fate will not remain indifferent to this matter.”
The National Freedom Party, led by Rahmatullah Nabil, also asserted that the transfer of TTP members to northern, northeastern, and northwestern Afghanistan is part of a larger regional and trans-regional intelligence program.
“The objective is to transform northern Afghanistan into a new Waziristan, export of terrorism and the transfer of terrorist groups to Central Asian countries, fuel proxy wars, and alter the demographic composition of the population,” the Party said in a statement.
The party has also called on all political, social, and military forces to unite and resist these moves by forming a united national front.
The question remains: Has the relocation of TTP members to northern Afghanistan taken place as part of an agreement between the Taliban and Islamabad?
The transfer of Pakistani Taliban members to northern Afghanistan came to light after Islamabad rejected the Taliban’s proposal for negotiations with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Afghan Turks have also expressed their anger over this move and have written a letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. “Granting refuge to a terrorist group under the guise of immigrants by the Taliban will transform Afghanistan into a terrorist haven and preventive actions need to be put in place,” they said.
