World News | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province Plans to Send Delegations to Afghanistan for Discuss Terrorism
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. The provincial government of northwest Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which has seen an increasing number of terror attacks in recent years, plans to send a series of delegations to engage with their counterparts in Afghanistan, official sources said on Wednesday.
Peshawar, Feb 12 (PTI) The provincial government of northwest Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which has seen an increasing number of terror attacks in recent years, plans to send a series of delegations to engage with their counterparts in Afghanistan, official sources said on Wednesday.
“Under the implementation framework, a small delegation will visit Kabul for preliminary discussions first to establish diplomatic groundwork and coordinate with Afghan counterparts,ensuring it aligns with Pakistan's national foreign and security policies, official sources said.
There has been an uptick in terror incidents across Pakistan, especially in the restive KPK province over the last two years since the Taliban-led dispensation took control of Afghanistan.
Pakistan has consistently asked the Taliban-led interim Afghan government to ensure effective border management on their side of the border and deny the use of Afghan soil by terrorists for perpetrating acts of terrorism against Pakistan.
The sources said, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has proposed initiatives to strengthen ties with Taliban-led Afghan government with main focus on establishing confidence-building measures between tribal communities and authorities in both the countries to ensure lasting peace in the region.
The plan involves sending a series of Jirgas (tribal councils) of tribal elders, religious scholars and political leaders to engage with their Afghan counterparts, official sources said.
The provincial government has released the proposed Terms of Reference (ToRs) regarding the proposed initiative, leveraging the province's shared history, culture, and tribal connections as the province shares a 1,300 kilometre long porous border with Afghanistan.
The plan includes dissuading terrorist organisations from using Afghan territory to launch attacks in Pakistan and prevent militant movements across the border, the official sources said.
In the second part of the implementation framework, a larger delegation will engage Afghan tribal leaders and government representatives and hold discussion on security, trade, refugee issues, and cross-border collaboration.
The delegation will consist of tribal elders from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's bordering districts with Afghanistan, religious scholars, political representatives, business leaders and a security liaison officer.
The province is ruled by jailed former prime minister's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party for the past 12 years and has a totally different approach towards Afghanistan as compared with the federal government.
Perhaps, keeping that in mind, the TORs mentions that the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will formally notify the federal government about the initiative, ensuring it aligns with Pakistan's national foreign and security policies.
To avoid any conflicts, no commitments will be made that override Pakistan's national security framework or diplomatic stance, official sources added.
A detailed briefing document will also be shared with federal authorities before the engagement, guaranteeing transparency and cooperation throughout the process.
The actual implementation will be subject to federal government's support. Imran Khan is in favour of resolution of Pak-Afghan issues through talks while the establishment is against it.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) remained the worst-affected province even when Pakistan as a whole witnessed a sharp increase in terror attacks in January 2025, surging by 42 per cent compared to the previous month.
Data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), a think tank, said that at least 74 militant attacks were recorded nationwide, resulting in 91 fatalities, including 35 security personnel, 20 civilians, and 36 militants.
In KP alone, militants carried out 27 attacks, resulting in 19 fatalities, including 11 security personnel, six civilians, and two militants while the tribal districts (erstwhile Fata) witnessed 19 attacks, leading to 46 deaths, including 13 security personnel, eight civilians, and 25 militants.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)