ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: In a surprising development, PTI founder Imran Khan, currently incarcerated, has directed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur to travel to Kabul for direct peace talks with the Afghan Taliban. The instruction, issued through a rare personal message from Imran’s official account, comes at a time when terror incidents along the western border have seen a sharp rise.
Imran Khan accused the army chief’s “short-sighted policies” of undoing the peace efforts once credited to his party during its time in power. By urging Gandapur to take the lead, Khan has effectively pushed the province into a role traditionally reserved for federal authorities, signaling a major political and diplomatic shift.
This move raises pressing questions: can regional leadership independently build a security framework with Kabul? Or will it only deepen the civil-military and federal-provincial rift in Pakistan’s political fabric?
Analysts believe Gandapur’s outreach, if successful, could mark a turning point in Pakistan’s counterterrorism approach by opening a new channel of dialogue with the Taliban. However, failure could risk not only increased tensions with Kabul but also expose sharp fault lines between civilian and military institutions.
All eyes are now set on how the Taliban leadership will respond and whether Gandapur’s mission has the potential to change the trajectory of cross-border peace.
This story has been reported by PakTribune. All rights reserved.