Pakistan, Afghanistan Hold Third Day of Peace Talks as Border Tensions Test Ceasefire
Peace talks between Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan entered the third day on Monday in Istanbul, officials from both sides said.
The talks come a day after US President Donald Trump pledged to resolve the crisis between the two neighbors “very quickly” and as tensions along the border remain high following recent exchanges of fire that have killed dozens of soldiers and civilians on the both sides, The AP news reported.
The clashes prompted Qatar to host the first round of negotiations that led to a cease-fire agreement on Oct. 19 between Islamabad and Kabul.
Afghan media on Monday quoted Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesman for Afghanistan’s Taliban government, as saying the Istanbul discussions were still in progress, with no outcome announced yet. Pakistani officials also confirmed the talks are underway.
The officials who have direct knowledge of the negotiations being hosted by Turkish government spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
Pakistan’s army said Sunday it had killed 25 militants while “repelling two major infiltration attempts” along the border, even as delegations were talking in Istanbul. It also said five Pakistani soldiers had died during exchanges of fire.
It was not possible to verify the casualty figures as the area is remote and off-limits to the media.
Trump, speaking on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Malaysia on Sunday, said he had learned that Pakistan and Afghanistan had begun peace efforts, adding that he would “get that solved very quickly.”
Pakistan last year recommended Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for helping defuse a crisis with neighboring India when the two nuclear-armed rivals were on the brink of a wider conflict. That standoff followed the killing of tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir in April and ended after US-led diplomatic efforts produced a truce, which Trump has repeatedly taken credit for.
The latest Istanbul talks, hosted by the Turkish government and facilitated by Qatar, are aimed at ensuring that the ceasefire remains intact and that the two sides reach a broader agreement.
Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers of allowing militants to use Afghan soil to launch attacks across the border — allegations Kabul strongly denies.
