ISLAMABAD/KABUL, Oct 18 (Reuters) — Afghanistan and Pakistan began peace talks in Doha on Saturday after agreeing to extend a ceasefire following a week of intense border clashes that left dozens dead and hundreds injured — the worst fighting between the neighbors since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021.
Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that “negotiations with the Pakistani side will take place today in Doha,” adding that the Afghan delegation, led by Defence Minister Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob, had already arrived in Qatar for the discussions.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office said its delegation would be headed by Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and would focus on “immediate measures to end cross-border terrorism against Pakistan emanating from Afghanistan and restore peace and stability along the Pak-Afghan border.”
Officials on both sides said the talks could be extended beyond Saturday, with senior intelligence officials from both countries also participating.
Background to the Clashes
The recent fighting — including Pakistani airstrikes along the 2,600-km (1,600-mile) frontier — was triggered by Islamabad’s demand that Kabul rein in militants allegedly operating from sanctuaries in Afghanistan to launch attacks in Pakistan.
The Taliban government has denied harboring such militants, accusing Pakistan of spreading misinformation and sheltering Islamic State-linked groups to destabilize Afghanistan. Islamabad, in turn, strongly denies these claims.
Militants have waged a prolonged insurgency against Pakistan’s government, seeking to impose a hardline Islamic system of governance.
On Friday, a suicide bombing near the border killed seven Pakistani soldiers and wounded 13 others, according to security officials.
“The Afghan regime must rein in the proxies who have sanctuaries in Afghanistan and are using Afghan soil to perpetrate heinous attacks inside Pakistan,” Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, said at a military graduation ceremony on Saturday.
Airstrikes and Cricket Fallout
Afghan officials accused Pakistan of conducting new airstrikes just hours after the ceasefire — first agreed on Wednesday — was extended on Friday to cover the duration of the Doha talks. Mujahid said the strikes targeted civilians, warning that Kabul “reserved the right to respond,” though fighters had been instructed to hold fire in deference to the negotiations.
In protest, Afghanistan withdrew from a Twenty20 international tri-series scheduled in Pakistan next month, citing the deaths of three local cricketers reportedly killed during airstrikes in Paktika province.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on X (formerly Twitter) that the military had targeted “verified militant camps” and denied that civilians were hit. He claimed more than 100 militants were killed in Pakistani operations, including members of the group responsible for Friday’s suicide attack.
Reuters could not independently verify the casualty figures or the identities of those targeted.
No comments:
Post a Comment