Pakistan’s PM claims TTP ‘resides’ and has training camps in Afghanistan

Pakistan’s Caretaker Prime Minister, Anwar ul Haq Kakar said this week that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) does “reside on Afghan soil” and that they even have training camps in the country.

In an interview with TRT this week, he said: “We do raise such issues with them (the IEA), there are training camps over there, on their soil (Afghanistan) which is a point of concern for us.”

He added however that Islamabad was not entirely sure whether “it’s all intentional,” and questioned whether the TTP enjoys “the patronage of that government (IEA).” That remains to be seen, he said, adding that Islamabad does not want to complicate the “relationship (with Afghanistan) as far as our security operations are concerned.”

Kakar went on to say that Pakistan is looking “at that complex web and trying to draw the right conclusion and devise our security policy accordingly.”

He denied Pakistan’s direct involvement in having helped bring the IEA back into the political arena and said instead “the Taliban (IEA) was actually acknowledged by the United States and its allies as one of the important players in Afghanistan.”

He went on to say however that Pakistan did play a role “of encouragement” prior to August 2021, as it was of the view that the IEA was “an important player in Afghan society.”

He said negotiating with a group like the IEA, pre-August 2021, had been a global challenge, and that Pakistan had been a “participant” in the “big picture”.

Kakar stated that while Pakistan did give its input, there was nothing they did that he regrets. He also said that leading up to the collapse of the former government many “powers” and international groups had been in a “rush to leave” Afghanistan.

They are the ones that should have thought about a political settlement, about creating an environment where the various groups and parties in Afghanistan could have held negotiations. This did not happen, and the government at the time had not even been included in talks, he said.

This exit strategy had been planned by the rest of the world, not Pakistan, he said.

Kakar stated that Pakistan has lost a total of about 90,000 people to terrorism but stated Pakistan has been successful in fighting the scourge and will continue to fight it.

The IEA meanwhile has repeatedly rejected claims that the TTP operate out of Afghanistan. The Islamic Emirate has said on numerous occasions that no group will be allowed to threaten another country from Afghanistan.