Pakistani ulema in Kabul for talks with TTP

A delegation of Pakistani religious scholars is in Kabul for talks with senior leaders of the interim Afghan government.

Headed by Mufti Taqi Usman, the eight-member team will urge Kabul to help persuade Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leaders to further extend their ceasefire with Islamabad.

Following their arrival in Kabul, the ulema were received by Taliban officials and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Mansour Ahmad Khan at the Hamid Karzai International Airport.

The ulema will also meet TTP leaders in an effort to convince them to bring flexibility to their position and extend the ceasefire.

Pakistani official confirmed the delegates would seek help from the Taliban government to convince the outlawed outfit into making the ceasefire effective and dropping pre-conditions for negotiations.

The TTP wants the merger of the former region settled areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to be reversed.

Before the Eidul Fitr festival, the TTP had announced an indefinite ceasefire. But Pakistani forces continue to be attacked in Waziristan and other areas.