Pakistan’s resort to the Taliban to contain Islamist extremists
With the increase in terrorist activities by extremist Islamists in Pakistan, it seems that the Islamabad government sees seeking help from Afghan Taliban leaders as a solution.
According to the French news agency, Faisal Karim Kundi, the special assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, said on Saturday, February 4th, that the government intends to ask the Taliban to take action to prevent the use of Afghan soil for terrorist operations against Pakistan.
Shahbaz Sharif’s assistant said that the Pakistani government is sending a delegation to Kabul and Tehran for this purpose. A senior police official from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province said that the talks will be held in Kabul with the highest-ranking Taliban official, apparently referring to Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of extremist Islamists in control of Afghanistan.
So far, no news has been published about the possible reason for the Pakistani delegation’s visit to Tehran. The Islamic Republic has not yet recognized the Taliban government officially, but it has both open and hidden relations with its predecessors.