ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has agreed to resume talks with the Afghan Taliban at the request of host countries, media reported on Thursday.
According to reports, the Pakistani delegation, which was preparing to return home from Istanbul, will now extend its stay to continue discussions. The decision was made to give peace another chance and to restart the dialogue process that had stalled earlier.
Sources said the upcoming talks will again focus on Pakistan’s main demand — that the Afghan government take clear, verifiable, and effective action against terrorists operating from its soil. Pakistan has repeatedly emphasized that Afghan territory must not be used for terrorist activities against Pakistan.
Earlier, the previous round of talks in Istanbul had ended without success. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated that the only agenda of those talks was to prevent terrorism from Afghan soil, but the Afghan side did not provide any practical assurance despite acknowledging Pakistan’s legitimate concerns.
Tarar added that Pakistan had raised strong objections over cross-border attacks by India-backed militant groups, including Fitna al Khawarij (TTP) and Fitna al Hind (BLA), and urged the Afghan Taliban to fulfill their written commitments under the Doha Agreement.
He said Pakistan presented solid evidence of terrorist activity during the talks, which was accepted by the host countries and the Afghan delegation but not followed by any concrete assurance.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned that any violation of Pakistan’s borders by the Taliban government would be met with a strong response, saying that if necessary, Pakistan would take action even inside Afghan territory.
