Pakistan Responds to Taliban’s Ban on Foreign Fighting: A Wait-and-See Approach

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry cautiously welcomed the decision by the Taliban’s Council of Religious Scholars to ban Afghans from fighting in foreign countries, but emphasized that Islamabad will wait for the Taliban’s practical actions; as the resolution did not mention the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, and the Taliban had previously failed to fulfill their verbal commitments…

​The Taliban had promised in writing during negotiations; Andarabi: The name of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan is not mentioned

​Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry announced its cautious response to the decision by the Taliban’s Council of Religious Scholars, which stated that no Afghan has the right to go abroad for war, in a press conference.

​Ambiguity in the resolution and awaiting action

​Tahir Andarabi, spokesperson for the Pakistani Foreign Ministry, confirmed that Islamabad had requested the Taliban during negotiations mediated by Qatar and Turkey to give written assurance to Pakistan from their leader.
​Andarabi added that the Council of Scholars’ resolution has ambiguities: The resolution does not mention Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), therefore, Pakistan will wait to see what happens in practice.
​He reiterated that the Taliban had previously stated the same thing verbally but did not act on it.

​Negotiations and the fatwa needed by Pakistan

​Yesterday, hundreds of religious scholars from various provinces of Afghanistan announced in a gathering in Kabul that no Afghan is allowed to participate in wars outside of Afghanistan.
​They also stated that if anyone violates Afghanistan’s borders, fighting against them is, according to them, a holy jihad.
​Although the resolution of the Taliban’s Council of Religious Scholars does not mention Pakistan, reports indicate that in recent meetings between Taliban representatives and the Pakistani government in Doha, Istanbul, and Riyadh, the Pakistani side has emphasized that the Afghan Taliban must issue a fatwa stating that fighting in Pakistan is unlawful in order to prevent logistical and moral support for the TTP from Afghan territory.