ISLAMABAD: The next round of Peace Talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan will be held tomorrow, on Thursday, in Istanbul, aimed at making a final push to restore trust between the two neighbors.
According to details emerging on Wednesday, Pakistan has reiterated that its main objective is to eliminate terrorism originating from Afghan soil.
Sources revealed that Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s visit to Turkiye will depend on the participation of senior Afghan leadership in the talks.
The National Security Adviser is also expected to attend the upcoming session.
Officials emphasised that Pakistan will show no leniency towards the Kabul administration on issues related to terrorism.
The Pakistan Army on Monday took a tougher stance toward the Taliban regime ahead of the next round of talks in Istanbul, saying Pakistan’s only and non-negotiable demand is to stop terrorism coming from Afghan soil.
“The conditions the Afghan Taliban keep putting forward are meaningless; what matters is ending terrorism,” said Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the military’s spokesperson, during a briefing at the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
“Pakistan has a one-point agenda: Afghan soil must not be used against us,” he added.
Gen Chaudhry’s comments come as Islamabad prepares for the Nov 6 meeting in Turkiye, the next phase of talks following last month’s six-day dialogue in Istanbul between Pakistan and the Taliban regime.
Those talks, mediated by Turkiye and Qatar, resulted in both sides reaffirming the Doha ceasefire and agreeing to set up a monitoring and verification system for cross-border terrorism, though key implementation issues remain unresolved.
Ahead of the upcoming Istanbul talks, Taliban leader Mullah Haibatullah also met with his negotiators, led by Mullah Najib, in Kandahar to discuss the next phase of dialogue with Pakistan, according to sources.
During the briefing, the military spokesperson said that operations against terrorists belonging to Fitna-al-Khawarij are ongoing, with 1,667 militants eliminated so far.
Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry added that 206 Afghan Taliban fighters and 112 TTP members were killed during the recent border clashes.
instead of acknowledging Pakistan’s sacrifice of decades, the Afghan government has been backing and supporting the Indian-sponsored militancy in the KP and Balochistan.
The militants-attacks have been launched on the security forces, innocent civilians and the development infrastructure not only in KP and Balochistan but also in Karachi and Punjab areas.
The militant groups like TTP, BLA, Majeed Brigade, Daish and many others have been launching attacks on the Pakistani territory for the past four decades.
Thousands of innocent people have been brutally killed in those militant-attacks. Such militant-groups backed and supported by Afghanistan are not a fair return of Pakistan’s sacrifices, hospitality and goodwill
