According to official sources, China is reportedly mediating between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban regime to deal with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorist group, which is considered an ally of the Afghan Taliban and seeks to impose stricter Islamic laws in Pakistan.
China has urged both countries to come up with a “workable solution” and ensure that the TTP is brought back to the discussion table, according to reports. During a recent trilateral meeting in Islamabad to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, China also urged the Afghan Taliban to neutralize the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a group of native Uyghurs who seek to create a sovereign nation of East Turkestan in China’s Xinjiang province.
Pakistan has reportedly asked China to intervene in the matter and use its economic power over the Afghan Taliban to address the TTP issue. China is said to be concerned that the TTP problem will damage bilateral ties between the two countries and hinder regional connectivity.
The TTP was established by Pakistani militants in 2007 to work together against Pakistan and support the Afghan Taliban, who were fighting US and NATO forces. The group seeks stricter enforcement of Islamic laws, the release of its members from government custody, and a reduction in Pakistani military presence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a province bordering Afghanistan that it has long used as a base.
Since November 2022, the TTP has escalated attacks on Pakistani soldiers and police after ending a ceasefire with the government. The group’s operations have mainly targeted Pakistani forces, similar to the Afghan Taliban’s agenda of removing foreign forces from Afghanistan.
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