Pakistan has agreed to resume peace talks with Afghanistan in Istanbul aimed at finding a way to pursue the Taliban regime in Kabul to stop supporting the terrorists launching attacks inside Pakistan. It reported in meida that the Pakistani delegation which was about to board a return flight home will now stay back in Istanbul. By restarting the dialogue process, the sources maintained, it was decided to give peace another chance. 

However, the negotiations will focus on Pakistan’s original demand asking Afghanistan to take clear, verifiable and effective action against terrorists.  On Wednesday, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar had announced that after four days of long, intense discussions between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Istanbul, aimed at ending a tense and violent standoff at border, had ended in failure. 

In a message posted on social media platform X, Attaullah Tarar blamed the Afghan delegations for the failure of the talks, accusing them of resorting to “deflection and ruses”.  “The dialogue thus failed to bring about any workable solution,” he wrote.  Mediated by Qatar and Türkiye, the negotiations followed an initial round of dialogue in Doha, which produced a temporary ceasefire on October 19 after a week of fighting that left dozens dead. 

Hours later, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned Afghanistan’s Taliban regime of strong retaliation if any terrorist attack on its soil originates from Afghan territory.  Khawaja Asif issued a blunt warning in a statement posted on X, saying the Afghan Taliban had probably misread Pakistan’s “resolve and courage” by not agreeing to address its security concerns. “Any terrorist attack or any suicide bombing inside Pakistan shall give you the bitter taste of such misadventures,” Mr Asif said. “Be rest assured and test our resolve and capabilities, if you wish so, at your own peril and doom.” 

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)