Khalilzad Advises Pakistan to Negotiate with TTP, Following Afghanistan’s Playbook

KABUL (Kokcha.News) —Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. diplomat, has called on Pakistan to abandon its military strategy and instead engage in negotiations with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), drawing parallels to the approach the U.S. and the former Afghan government took with the Afghan Taliban.

In response to recent clashes between Pakistani security forces and the TTP, which have resulted in significant casualties among both security personnel and civilians in border areas, Khalilzad stated that Islamabad is mistaken if it believes a military solution is viable.

Khalilzad emphasized that there is no reliable military strategy to address the TTP insurgency and urged Pakistan to immediately adopt a political strategy and initiate negotiations.

He also reminded Pakistan that, prior to 2021, it had consistently advised the U.S. and the former Afghan government to negotiate with the Afghan Taliban and reach a political settlement.

Khalilzad believes that the time has come for Pakistan to follow the same approach. He concluded by calling on the Afghan Taliban to assist Pakistan in such negotiations.

This advice comes as the Pakistani military announced yesterday that its security forces targeted three TTP hideouts in the northwest near the Afghan border over the past two days, resulting in intense clashes that left 19 soldiers and 45 militants dead.

In the wake of the incident, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a stern warning to the Afghan Taliban, stating, “Afghanistan (the Taliban) must decide whether it stands with Pakistan or with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).”

Sharif emphasized that Pakistan desires to maintain relations with the Afghan Taliban, but if Kabul chooses to side with and support terrorists, then Pakistan will have no dealings with the Taliban government, and the terrorists will be eliminated at any cost.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq Khan, is scheduled to visit Kabul early next week.

Pakistani media reports that the primary goal of this trip is to discuss security issues with Taliban officials.