A tentative truce with the Pakistan Taliban

Who are the Tehrik-e-Taliban? How does the regime change in Afghanistan alter the situation with Pakistan and the TTP?

The Pakistani Government announced on Monday that it had entered into a nationwide ceasefire with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the outlawed terrorist group also known as the Pakistan Taliban. This was agreed upon after weeks-long talks held in Afghanistan between the Government of Prime Minister Imran Khan and the TTP.

The truce will be observed by both parties for 30 days starting November 9. A TTP spokesperson said in a statement that both sides agreed to form negotiation teams which will take the talks forward. While the Pakistani Government hasn’t offered more details, a month ago, Prime Minister Khan, in an interview with Turkish broadcaster TRT World, had said that his Government was in talks with some TTP groups as part of a “reconciliation process”. He said the Government would “forgive the TTP and that they will become normal citizens” if they agreed to lay down arms. According to a report in Radio Free Europe, the TTP demanded the release of 100 of its fighters from Pakistani prisons and the implementation of Sharia in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal regions. It’s not clear whether all of their demands were met, but reports indicate that Pakistan will release some TTP fighters from prison as part of confidence-building measures.