ISTANBUL (Kashmir English): The talks between Pakistan and the Afghan interim government held in Istanbul have reportedly hit a deadlock, according to Information Minister Atta Tarar.
In a statement, the Information Minister informed that Pakistan expressed gratitude to Turkiye and Qatar for facilitating and mediating the Istanbul talks, acknowledging their diplomatic role during the dialogue.
The Information Minister, Atta Tarrar, stated that Pakistan stood by its principled stance that the responsibility for controlling terrorism originating from Afghan soil lies with Afghanistan.
The Afghan Taliban have so far failed to fulfill their international, regional, and bilateral commitments as per the Doha Peace Agreement 2021, Atta further stated.
Additionally, he reaffirmed that Pakistan reiterates that it has goodwill towards the Afghan people and wishes for a peaceful future for them. Pakistan will not support any steps taken by the Taliban government that are not in the interest of the Afghan people or neighboring countries.
Pak-Afghan talks
The development came amid the ongoing peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Istanbul, which initially began in Qatar’s Doha on October 19.
The talks between the delegations of both countries resumed following a truce reached on October 30 after cross-border hostilities.
The second round of talks started in Istanbul on October 25 after days of border clashes, but Islamabad’s long-standing concerns about terrorist attacks from Kabul remained, which led to the failure of talks.
On October 29, Pakistan announced the end of talks and its negotiators were preparing to return home, but, over Turkiye and Qatar’s request, they stayed.
Later the next day, Turkiye’s Foreign Ministry announced that both countries had agreed to maintain a “ceasefire”, adding that “both countries will meet again on Nov 6 to discuss additional provisions for implementing the ceasefire.
