Pakistan wants to reach out to Afghan Taliban Chief Haibuttallah Akhundzada to rein Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, who are responsible for the recent Peshawar mosque attack.

An increasingly desperate Pakistan has reached out to Afghan Taliban chief Haibuttallah Akhundzada for assistance in taming the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) responsible for a string of terror attacks in the country, including the recent Peshawar mosque attack that killed more than 101 people, the official said on Saturday. 

Since 2021, Pakistan’s border regions with Afghanistan have become increasingly targeted by militants who use rugged terrain to plan operations and escape detection.

Last year, The Afghan Taliban brokered the months-long ceasefire between Pakistan’s government and Taliban Pakistan, but the negotiation ended without any substantial outcome.

Following the end of the ceasefire, TTP increased its attacks across the country, attacking soldiers, police, military sites and foreign citizen.  

Pakistan’s officials believe that Taliban Pakistan has a shared set of beliefs with the Afghan Taliban; Hibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of the Afghan Taliban, who is in the city of Kandahar south of the country, can control them.   

As a result, Pakistan’s delegations would be sent to Kabul to “ask them to ensure that terrorists do not use their soil against Pakistan,” said officials.

Recently, Pakistan accused Afghan authorities of giving sanctuaries to the outlawed TTP and other militant groups to attack Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, earlier this week asked Pakistan not to blame others for its own mistakes.

Muttaqi also said that instead of criticizing Afghanistan, they look for comprehensive solutions within their country.  “If supposedly Afghanistan was the hub of terrorism, it would have spread to Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, China, and other countries, which has not yet happened,” the Taliban Foreign Minister said.