Dealing With TTP.

Reports have revealed that the Afghan Taliban pitched a resettlement plan for the banned TTP to Pakistan during the recent visit of a high-powered Pakistani delegation led by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif. Nothing of the sort was reported in the briefings following the visit, and it has not been confirmed by officials in Islamabad that something of the sort is indeed being discussed between the two sides.

During the recent visit, the emphasis was on conveying a clear message to the Afghan Taliban that Pakistan would no longer seek talks with the TTP since the group used earlier peace efforts to regroup and target Pakistan. Reports suggest that sensing Islamabad's position, the Afghan Taliban proposed a new plan that envisaged disarming the TTP and relocating their members from the border areas. However, unlike previous plans, the TTP members will be resettled inside Afghanistan. There is a catch though, Kabul is asking Pakistan to bear the cost of the plan.

While this is an interesting proposition, executing and verifying such a plan would be a serious challenge. Currently, there are between eight to 12 thousand TTP militants in Afghanistan, and the number goes up to 30,000 if...