Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the head of Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), reportedly had a meeting with the chief of the Afghan Taliban in Kandahar on Wednesday, marking the first known encounter between a Pakistani leader and the reclusive Taliban supreme leader.
While there is no official confirmation from either side about the alleged meeting, media reports suggested that the JUI-F chief was scheduled to meet Hibatullah Akundzada during his visit to Kabul. Reports, including information from Afghan journalists quoting unnamed Taliban officials, have affirmed the occurrence of the meeting.
Despite multiple attempts, the JUI-F spokesperson, who typically provided regular updates about Fazl’s engagements in Afghanistan, could not be reached for comment.
This meeting could potentially signal a turning point in bilateral relations between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban government. The two governments are currently at odds over the issue of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
It further indicated that Maulana Fazl received a briefing and talking points about Pakistan’s stance before his trip to Afghanistan. He was reportedly instructed to convey a clear message to the Taliban chief that Kabul must choose between Pakistan and the TTP.
Fazl was also tasked with communicating that without a resolution to the TTP problem, bilateral relations between the two countries could not progress.
The Afghan Taliban government has not shown any inclination to take action against the TTP. In fact, Fazl was informed during his meeting with the Afghan interim prime minister that the TTP was an internal problem of Pakistan and needed to be resolved internally.
Report dealing with Afghan matters expressed skepticism, suggesting that if this was the Taliban government’s attitude, there might not be a breakthrough. The source emphasized that the Taliban government was well aware of the TTP’s presence in Afghanistan, with “sanctuaries” corroborated by the UN and other countries.
While the JUI-F chief initially intended to visit Kabul to congratulate the Afghan Taliban on their return to power in August 2021, various reasons prevented his trip.
Reports claim that the Afghan Taliban, initially uninterested in extending an invitation, eventually decided to invite Maulana Fazl to share perspectives on the TTP and other issues after Pakistan nearly severed high-level contacts with the Kabul regime.
Officials remain skeptical about a major breakthrough due to the close links between the Afghan Taliban and the TTP. The visit may ease tensions between the two sides, but the chances of significant progress are deemed slim, according to insiders.
Pakistani policymakers are now awaiting the JUI-F chief’s briefing upon his return to gain insights into the details of his meeting with the Taliban supreme leader. Some observers view this meeting as a last-ditch effort to address the TTP issue.
