Pakistan has no intention of negotiating with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said on Thursday.
At a weekly press briefing, she emphasised that the Afghan government “must take action against terrorists” and that any recognition of the interim Afghan government would not occur without consultation with regional partners.
Baloch reiterated Pakistan’s demand for the Afghan government to address the actions of the TTP and other terrorist groups involved in the killings of Pakistani citizens.
On Wednesday, officials from the Taliban administration in Afghanistan claimed that Pakistan has yet to provide evidence of the TTP’s presence in Afghanistan. Taliban’s Chief of Army Staff Fasihuddin Fitrat stated that Pakistan “should not blame Afghanistan for its own security weaknesses.”
Baloch further noted that Pakistan has repeatedly raised concerns about the use of Afghan territory against Pakistan.
She asserted that the presence of the outlawed TTP and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan was well-documented by various international organizations, including the United Nations. Pakistan has provided intelligence on terrorism to Afghanistan, but cannot disclose information regarding intelligence sharing between the two countries.