KABUL — A senior Taliban official involved in earlier peace negotiationsbetween Pakistan and the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has saidthat Islamabad’s most viable option to address its growing militancychallenge remains through the mediation of the Afghan Taliban.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official revealed that during theprevious dialogue process, around 98% of the negotiations had beensuccessful, with both parties reportedly reaching near consensus onseveral contentious issues.
According to the Taliban representative, the only remaining dispute wasover the merger of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — a matter he claimed was also close to resolutionbefore talks abruptly collapsed.
He attributed the breakdown of the peace process to significant politicaland military changes in Pakistan, saying the dialogue fell apart after thetransfer of former ISI chief General Faiz Hameed and the ouster ofthen-Prime Minister Imran Khan.
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Despite the setbacks, the Taliban official maintained that the AfghanTaliban remain Pakistan’s best option for mediating a political settlementwith the TTP, arguing that both sides share ideological and culturalproximity that could facilitate a durable peace if Islamabad chooses toreengage through Kabul.
He emphasized that continued military operations without political dialogueare unlikely to deliver lasting stability, adding that “the door to peaceis not closed — but it requires political will and trust to reopen it.”