Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Chief Minister Discusses Peace With Taliban Official

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur met with Hafiz Mohibullah, the Taliban's consul general in Peshawar, to discuss the peace talks.

Gandapur had previously asked Islamabad for permission to negotiate peace with the Taliban, but Pakistan's defence minister had said he did not have such authority.

The chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday asked Islamabad to allow him to negotiate peace with the Afghan Taliban.

According to Pakistani media, Ali Amin Gandapur, during a meeting with the Taliban's consul general in Peshawar, spoke of his willingness to make serious efforts to establish lasting peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Gandapur also stressed on the importance of forming a people's jirga to resolve security issues in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

During a meeting with the Taliban's consul general in Peshawar, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also emphasised on resolving trade problems on the border between the two countries and assured him that government officials will cooperate with Afghan refugees who have legal residency documents.

Ali Amin Gandapur had previously said that if the government did not allow him to hold peace talks with the Afghan Taliban, he would lead tribal elders to negotiate with the Taliban as a senior minister.

"Peace in the province depends on a peaceful Afghanistan," he said at a meeting with tribal leaders and party representatives, stressing that a clear policy and timetable are needed to eliminate militancy in the province.

Following the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister's remarks to negotiate with the Afghan Taliban, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that no province has the authority to negotiate with a foreign country. He accused Gandapur of endangering Pakistan's security.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is currently in jail, has backed his party colleague Gandapur's plan to negotiate with the Afghan Taliban.