Islamabad (EFE).- Pakistan has agreed to extend peace talks with Afghanistan’s Taliban government in Istanbul at the request of Turkey, one day after Islamabad declared the negotiations a failure, according to sources close to the discussions who spoke to EFE on Thursday.
The Pakistani delegation, which had been scheduled to return to Islamabad, will remain in Istanbul to resume talks and keep diplomatic channels open after several days of heightened tension with Kabul, the sources said in a statement.
“The discussions will be based on Pakistan’s fundamental demand that Afghanistan take clear, verifiable and effective action against terrorists,” the statement said. “Pakistan has reiterated that Afghan territory must not be used to carry out terrorist acts against Pakistan.”
Both sides thanked Ankara for its “constructive role” and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to seeking a “good-faith, peaceful resolution through dialogue.”
The resumption of talks marks a diplomatic reversal after Islamabad on Wednesday announced that the negotiations had collapsed and accused the Taliban administration of allowing militant groups to operate from Afghan soil.
Islamabad said Kabul was trying to “drag its people into an unnecessary war” by refusing to prevent armed groups from staging cross-border attacks.
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif warned that Pakistan would not tolerate further assaults and would respond if even one more attack took place inside its territory.
The Taliban’s de facto government, in turn, blamed Islamabad for the breakdown, saying Pakistan had made “unreasonable demands,” including guarantees that no future attacks would occur on Pakistani soil. Kabul also insisted that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — the ideological twin of the Afghan Taliban — was a longstanding domestic issue for Pakistan.
The dialogue process began in Doha, where a temporary cease-fire was reached on Oct. 19 with Qatari and Turkish mediation. The negotiations later moved to Istanbul in an attempt to secure a lasting truce, but they collapsed after four days of meetings.
Clashes earlier this month along the Durand Line, the disputed frontier between the two countries, left dozens of civilians dead on both sides. EFE
fs/lds
