ISTANBUL: Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime kicked off the third round of talks in Istanbul on Thursday to ease escalating tensions following last month’s deadly border clashes.
The Istanbul meeting follows the earlier five-day talks that resulted in a last-minute interim agreement. The second round of talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime began on October 25 in Istanbul, Turkiye. The talks collapsed after Pakistan refused to accept the Taliban delegation’s “illogical” arguments and refusal to address Islamabad’s concerns regarding cross-border terrorism. However, mediators persuaded Pakistan to give the talks another chance, which ultimately resulted in an agreement to uphold the ceasefire.
At the end of the previous round of talks, a joint statement issued by the Turkish foreign ministry stated that all parties had agreed to maintain the ceasefire and establish a monitoring and verification mechanism to ensure peace and penalise any violations. “All parties have agreed to put in place a monitoring and verification mechanism that will ensure maintenance of peace and imposing a penalty on the violating party,” the communique read.
A day earlier, speaking to journalists outside the parliament, the defence minister said that a delegation had departed to resume talks with the Taliban regime’s delegation. “Afghanistan should act wisely for peace in the region… If there is no possibility of progress, then it is just a waste of time,” he added.
Meanwhile, Pakistan rejected claims made by the Afghan regime regarding the latest exchange of fire at the Chaman border crossing, saying that the incident was triggered from the Afghan side.
In a statement posted on X, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said that firing was initiated by the Afghan forces, prompting Pakistani security personnel to respond “in a measured and responsible manner”. “The situation was brought under control due to the disciplined and professional action of our forces,” the statement said, adding that the ceasefire at the border remains intact.
The ministry said Pakistan remains committed to resolving border matters through dialogue and expects “reciprocity and seriousness” from Kabul. “Pakistan has consistently worked to maintain peace along the Pak-Afghan border,” the statement added, urging Afghan authorities to avoid steps that escalate tensions. The statement said: “We strongly reject claims circulated by the Afghan side regarding today’s incident at the Pak-Afghan border at Chaman. Firing was initiated from the Afghan side, to which our security forces responded immediately in a measured and responsible manner.”
Meanwhile, a hospital official on the Afghan side told AFP that five people were killed and six were wounded in brief cross-border fire between Afghanistan and Pakistan on Thursday.
According to the anonymous official at the Spin Boldak district hospital in Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province, “five people died in today’s incident — four women and one man — and six were wounded.” There was no immediate report of victims from the Pakistani side.