ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday left for Afghanistan on his first visit in nearly 10 years as part of efforts to ease tensions between the two countries amid a surge in cross-border attacks.
A high-level delegation comprising party leaders is accompanying the JUI-F leader on the visit. JUI-F spokesperson Aslam Ghori said Fazl would visit the neighboring country at the invitation of the interim Afghan government to discuss regional and security issues.
The contentious issue of cross-border terrorism including the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) and bilateral issues will be on the JUI-F chief’s agenda, according to sources.
The JUI-F delegation includes Maulana Abdul Wasay, Maulana Salahuddin, Maulana Jamaluddin and Maulana Salimuddin Shamzai, Maulana Kamaluddin, Maulana Idrees, Maulana Imdadullah and Mufti Abrar.
Acting Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan Sardar Ahmed Jan Shakib met the senior politician on December 16 and invited him to visit Afghanistan. Later, Fazl’s upcoming visit was confirmed by Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
It will be Fazl’s first visit since the Taliban seized power in the war-torn country following the United States’ withdrawal in 2021.
Fazl first visited Afghanistan in 2013 under former President Hamid Karzai.
The visit will also discuss the continued use of Afghan soil against Pakistan, an issue Islamabad has repeatedly raised with the Taliban-led Afghan administration, the sources added.
In the Geo News program “Jirga”, Fazl said that he has a government mandate to visit Afghanistan.
“I believe in negotiations, but a comprehensive strategy can only be moved by looking at the ground reality for talks with the TTP,” Fazl said.
The visit comes at a time when relations between the two countries have soured amid a surge in terror incidents in Pakistan, mostly claimed by the TTP.
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In 2023, Pakistan remained a hotbed of terrorism and violence amid internal political conflicts, socio-economic disparities, regional instability and rising tensions with militant groups operating in border areas adjacent to Afghanistan.
On the other hand, Fazl has expressed grave concern over the peace and security situation in the country after his party has been attacked three times in the last six months for being on the lookout for banned outfits over the years.
The latest was a gun attack on a politician’s convoy in Dera Ismail Khan, but luckily he was unharmed because he was not there.
Last September, senior JUI-F leader Hafiz Hamdullah was injured in a blast – which injured 10 others – in Balochistan’s Mastung area, while in July 2023, at least 40 JUI-F workers were killed in a suicide blast targeting the party. labor convention at Bajaur’s Khar.
