- Third round of talks Pak-Afghan talks taking place in Istanbul.
- Pakistani delegation leaves for Istanbul for talks with Taliban.
- Afghanistan should act wisely for peace in the region: Asif.
Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime are set to hold the next round of talks in Istanbul today (Thursday) in an effort to ease escalating tensions following last month’s deadly border clashes.
The Istanbul meeting follows the earlier five-day talks that resulted in a last-minute interim agreement.
The second round of talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime began on October 25 in Istanbul, Turkiye. The talks collapsed after Pakistan refused to accept the Taliban delegation’s “illogical” arguments and refusal to address Islamabad’s concerns regarding cross-border terrorism.
However, mediators persuaded Pakistan to give the talks another chance, which ultimately resulted in an agreement to uphold the ceasefire.
At the end of the previous round of talks, a joint statement issued by the Turkish foreign ministry stated that all parties had agreed to maintain the ceasefire and establish a monitoring and verification mechanism to ensure peace and penalise any violations.
“All parties have agreed to put in place a monitoring and verification mechanism that will ensure maintenance of peace and imposing a penalty on the violating party,” the communique read.
A day earlier, speaking to journalists outside the parliament, the defence minister said that a delegation had departed to resume talks with the Taliban regime’s delegation.
“Afghanistan should act wisely for peace in the region… If there is no possibility of progress, then it is just a waste of time,” he added.
Earlier this week, DG ISPR Lt General Ahmed Sharif, in an informal briefing to journalists, warned that any external aggression against Pakistan will be met with a “firm and severe” response.
The DG ISPR told journalists Pakistan had killed numerous cross-border terrorists, many identified as Afghan nationals, and highlighted extensive opium cultivation funding militancy.
The statement also accused elements in Afghanistan of providing safe havens to militants from Balochistan and of relocating fighters into civilian areas to use them as human shields.
After attending the briefing, Geo News’ anchorperson and senior journalist Hamid Mir said that Chaudhry presented evidence before the journalists regarding the Afghan Taliban soldiers’ involvement in terrorism in Pakistan.
Islamabad-Kabul tensions
Pakistan has been grappling with rising terror incidents, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, since the Afghan Taliban regime took power in 2021.
The government in Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban regime to rein in terrorist groups responsible for countless attacks in Pakistan.
However, the Taliban regime largely remained indifferent to Pakistan’s demands and provided refuge to multiple terrorist groups targeting security forces and civilians.
Instead of addressing Pakistan’s concerns about cross-border terrorism, the Taliban regime resorted to unprovoked firing along the border on October 12.
The Pakistan Armed Forces retaliated swiftly, killing over 200 Taliban fighters and affiliated militants; however, as many as 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred during the border clashes.
The security forces also conducted strikes inside Afghanistan, including in Kabul, destroying terrorists’ hideouts in the country.
Hostilities between forces of the two nations ceased after Pakistan accepted the Taliban regime’s request for a temporary ceasefire on October 17.
Delegations from the two countries later met for talks mediated by Qatar in Doha, where they agreed on a ceasefire agreement.
Turkiye then hosted the second round of talks in Istanbul, which began on October 25 and continued till October 31.
