Asif criticises Gandapur for seeking ‘direct talks’ with Afghan Taliban

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has termed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s statement about holding direct dialogue with Afghanistan “a direct attack on the federation”.

Speaking at an event of the Peshawar Bar Council Association a day earlier, CM Gandapur announced sending a provincial government delegation to neighbouring Afghanistan to hold dialogue and settle bilateral issues without waiting for the federal government’s approval

as his “province is bleeding” due to a surge in terrorist attacks.

Asif, speaking on the floor of the National Assembly on Thursday, said the provincial chief executive must not have given the statement. He added no province has the authority to negotiate directly with any country, and in this context, the statement made by CM Gandapur, is extremely dangerous.

Pakistan has witnessed a spike in terrorist attacks since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in the bordering provinces of KP and Balochistan. KP alone witnessed 25 casualties in the 29 terrorist attacks during August.

Islamabad has time again called on the interim Afghanistan government to prevent its land from being used by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant organisations for carrying out attacks against Pakistan.