Sources informed Afghanistan International that on Tuesday, Mullah Shirin Akhund, the governor of Kandahar for the Taliban, and his accompanying delegation, arrived in Pakistan.
Prior to this, Pakistani sources informed the media that the main topics of discussion during his visit to the country would be the restoration of relations with Islamabad and the situation of the Pakistani Taliban.
Pakistani media had reported that discussions between the Taliban delegation and Pakistani authorities would encompass the handover of certain Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan members and the relocation of their fighters to areas distant from the border between the two countries. Additionally, talks were expected to focus on the revival of dialogue between the Pakistani Taliban and the government of Pakistan.
It has been said that the Taliban delegation will meet Pakistani officials, including Asif Durrani, Pakistan's special representative for Afghanistan.
On Monday, The Express Tribune reported that the Pakistani authorities are not very optimist about the visit of the Taliban official. It is expected that the delegation will invite Pakistan to negotiate with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
Pakistan has previously accused the TTP of making unreasonable demands and has declined to engage in negotiations with the group until it disarms. Furthermore, Islamabad has intensified pressure on the Afghan Taliban, urging the group to take action against the TTP in Afghanistan—an appeal that the Taliban has consistently refused.
The governor of the Taliban in Kandahar is believed to maintain close ties with the group’s leader and the TTP. His visit to Islamabad, instead of Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s foreign minister, may suggest the marginalisation of the foreign ministry in resolving tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban in the case of the TTP.
