Kabul, January 2, 2025: The Taliban have denied Pakistan’s assertion that they requested 10 billion Pakistani rupees (approximately $35 million) to relocate members of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
In a statement, Taliban deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat dismissed remarks made by Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif as “baseless.” Fitrat stated, “The Taliban neither discussed nor reached any agreement on this matter with Pakistani officials.”
Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif recently claimed that during a visit to Kabul a year or two ago, the Taliban made the funding request during a high-level meeting. According to Asif, the proposal was discussed in the presence of senior Taliban officials, including Defense Minister Mullah Yaqoob, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, and Deputy Defense Minister Mullah Shirin Akhund.
“They suggested relocating the TTP to one of their western provinces but asked for 10 billion rupees to facilitate this,” Asif stated. He added that he had responded firmly, saying, “If you don’t stop them, we’ll have to take action ourselves, and then you shouldn’t complain.”
Asif further claimed that he sought guarantees from the Taliban that such a relocation would neutralize the TTP threat, but no assurances were given. “I personally witnessed their demand for 10 billion rupees,” he emphasized. “When I asked for guarantees that the TTP wouldn’t return to create problems, they had no clear response.”
The Taliban’s denial comes amid ongoing tensions between the two sides regarding the TTP’s presence in Afghanistan. While the Taliban officially reject harboring TTP fighters, a United Nations monitoring group estimates that approximately 6,000 TTP members are based in Afghanistan.
The conflicting statements highlight the growing mistrust between Pakistan and the Taliban, complicating efforts to address cross-border security threats and the TTP’s influence in the region.
