Pakistan, Afghanistan to resume talks amid tensions over border clashes

Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan and Afghanistan person agreed to resume talks successful Istanbul astatine the petition of mediator Turkiye aft earlier rounds betwixt Islamabad and Kabul failed to resoluteness spiralling tensions betwixt the neighbours that person exploded into subject clashes successful caller weeks.

Pakistani information officials said Islamabad’s delegation had been readying to depart from the Turkish metropolis aft a erstwhile circular of talks, spanning 4 days, ended successful a deadlock. Now, however, the squad volition stay successful Istanbul to proceed negotiations connected Thursday.

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“Pakistan has erstwhile again stressed that Afghan ungraded should not beryllium utilized for coercion against Pakistan. We admit the constructive relation of our hosts and stay committed to seeking a peaceful solution successful bully faith,” a information authoritative told Al Jazeera connected information of anonymity owed to the sensitivity of the dialogue.

Afghan media person besides reported, quoting sources, that aft the involution of big Turkiye and mediator Qatar, the 2 countries person agreed to resume their talks, which had ended earlier this week.

The 2 neighbours were engaged successful a weeklong borderline conflict this period successful which some sides suffered casualties. After the skirmishes, mediation by Qatar and Turkiye led to a ceasefire signed by the defence ministers of Pakistan and Afghanistan connected October 19 successful Doha in the beingness of officials from some mediating nations.

The consequent circular of talks began successful Istanbul connected Saturday and continued for 4 days, but the parties failed to scope a statement connected Islamabad’s cardinal request that Kabul ace down connected Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an equipped radical often called the Pakistan Taliban, which has been agelong accused by Pakistan of carrying retired deadly attacks wrong its territory.

The TTP emerged successful 2007 during the US-led “war connected terror” and has since waged a sustained run against the Pakistani state. Islamabad accuses Kabul of providing sanctuary not lone to the TTP but besides to different equipped groups, including the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the ISIL (ISIS) affiliate successful Khorasan Province (ISKP). The Afghan Taliban denies the allegations.

The Afghan Taliban, who took powerfulness for a 2nd clip successful August 2021 aft the withdrawal of US forces, has maintained that the TTP contented is an interior Pakistani matter. They person besides agelong considered ISKP a rival and enemy.

After Pakistan confirmed the nonaccomplishment of the erstwhile talks, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif issued a lengthy connection connected X, informing of an all-out onslaught against the Afghan Taliban. He accused the “regime” of “blindly pushing Afghanistan into yet different conflict, conscionable to clasp its usurped regularisation and support the warfare system that sustains them.”

“The warmongers amongst the Taliban regime, who person vested interests successful the continuation of instability successful the region, should cognize that they person astir apt misread our resoluteness and courage,” Asif wrote connected Wednesday.

So far, the Afghan Taliban has not responded to Asif’s remarks.

Sweden-based information researcher Abdul Sayed, who studies equipped groups successful South and Central Asia, said Asif’s comments signalled that Pakistan was prepared to resume aerial strikes successful Afghanistan but the determination to instrumentality to negotiations reflected a imaginable shift.

“The resumption of dialog suggests either that the contented causing the earlier deadlock has been resolved oregon that the Pakistani delegation, astatine the mediators’ request, has shown flexibility successful its stance to marque different effort to resoluteness the substance done negotiation,” Sayed told Al Jazeera.

Asif, successful an interrogation to a TV transmission connected Wednesday, besides alleged that India was waging a “low intensity” warfare successful Pakistan done the Afghan Taliban, claiming Islamabad possesses grounds of Indian involvement. He, however, did not stock immoderate grounds to backmost his claim.

Pakistan and India engaged successful a four-day conflict successful May. While New Delhi accuses Islamabad of harbouring equipped groups that motorboat cross-border attacks, Pakistan has historically alleged that India supports Baloch separatist groups demanding an autarkic Balochistan, Pakistan’s mineral-rich province.

This year, however, besides saw a thaw successful relations betwixt the Afghan Taliban and the Indian government. A bid of meetings and diplomatic exchanges culminated successful a visit to New Delhi by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi this month.

Sayed noted the caller escalation on the Pakistan-Afghanistan borderline began during Muttaqi’s sojourn to India.

“Pakistan has agelong maintained that India uses Afghan territory to make challenges for it. Even during the regularisation of the Afghan Taliban, traditionally Pakistan’s longstanding allies, these concerns persisted,” helium said.

“Within the tensions of Islamabad-Kabul relations, India remains a important factor,” Sayed added.