• Pakistan moved to cool a row with Afghanistan over reported comments by Prime Minister that were taken to suggest that Kabul should set up an interim government to help smooth peace talks with the Taliban.

Who are the Taliban?

• Taliban is an Islamic fundamentalist political movement of Afghanistan. Mohammed Omar who serves as a spiritual leader since its foundation is also the founder of this terrorist group. The majority in this group is consisting of an Afghan tribe named as Pashto.

Origin of Taliban

• In 1980, when the major part of world was engaged in the cold war, Pakistan was training the 90,000 Afghans including Mohammed Omar to fight a war against Soviet Union.
• There was a Soviet war in Afghanistan. The then president of Pakistan Muhammad zia-ul- Haq feared of Soviet’s invasion on its Baluchistan province of P akistan, so, he garner Afghans to act as buffer from such intrusions.
• In 1989 the Soviet Union retreated from Afghanistan, this given rise to mujahideen (soilders of god) forces to capture and control the Afghanistan in 1996 and made Kandahar its capital.
• The Taliban spread throughout the Afghanistan and had a control over it. Taliban also acted as a government of the Afghanistan and ruled for several years i.e. from 1996 to 2001.
• It got the diplomatic recognition from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan

• Pakistan has a major share in the development of Taliban. It has been already discussed above that how Pakistan had architected it in 1990s.
• The Taliban militants are the young men, who are trained in ultra conservative religious schools in Pakistan.
• They have also provided Taliban with primary support system and also give them military and personal aids like equipments, training assistance and advise them about tactics from time to time.
• Pakistan had also supported the leaders of Taliban during U.S. operation in Afghanistan by giving place to hide in their country.
• Pakistan is the last country to break the diplomatic relations with Taliban.
• After the fall of Taliban of Afghan in 2001, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has been created in 2007 under the leadership of Baitullah Mehsud in Pakistan.
• Its goal was to establish their rule in the Federally Administered tribal Areas of Pakistan.
• It is an ally of Afghan Taliban however; the Afghan Taliban denies of affiliations with TTP. The aim of TTP is to overthrow the Pakistani government and truly implement Sharia law throughout the Pakistan.