The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has proposed a new initiative to bolster ties with the Taliban-led government in neighbouring Afghanistan.

According to the terms of reference released by the KP government, the plan involves sending jirgas to Afghanistan in multiple phases to improve ties by leveraging the shared history, customs and tribal connections.

In the first phase, a small delegation will be sent to Kabul for preliminary discussions and   establishing diplomatic ‘groundwork’.

Then a second phase will take place including a visit by a larger delegation including select tribal leaders, religious scholars, political representatives, business leaders as well as a security liaison officer.

This delegation will talk to government leaders in Afghanistan as well as tribal leaders. Key discussion topics will include security, trade, refugees and cross-border issues.

The KP government plan hopes to achieve stronger tribe-to-tribe connections leading to an improvement in economic cooperation and a reduction in border tensions. The government also hopes to achieve a larger consensus to work towards regional peace and security.

KP government also said that it will formally take the federal government on board to make sure its plan aligns with national and foreign policy and will brief the federal government before every engagement.. During engagements with Afghan counterparts, no commitment will be made that could clash with Pakistan’s national security or diplomatic framework.

Although Pakistan maintains a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, it has not officially recognised the Afghan Interim Government. The Foreign Office said earlier this year, that the country will look at the international community’s posture before recognising the Taliban government. The two countries share a 2,600-kilometre border, divided between KP and Balochistan.