Pakistan: Failure in Istanbul Talks Signals War Between Islamabad and Kabul
According to the English section of webangah News Agency, citing Mehr News Agency and Reuters, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said Saturday that he believes Afghanistan seeks peace. Though,failure to reach an agreement in the Istanbul talks would mean an “open war.”
The istanbul negotiations began Saturday and are expected to continue until Sunday. They represent the latest effort by Pakistan and Afghanistan to prevent a return to violence following the worst border clashes as Kabul was taken over by the Afghan interim government in 2021.
The talks aim to establish a mechanism for implementing a long-term ceasefire agreed upon in Doha.
Khawaja Muhammad Asif noted that no incidents occurred in the four or five days following the agreement and both sides have complied with the ceasefire.
In a televised speech, Pakistan’s defense minister said: “We have this option-if an agreement is not reached, we will have an open war with them. But I have seen that they want peace.”
Reuters reports these clashes began earlier this month after Islamabad urged the Afghan interim government to curb militants who allegedly attack Pakistan from sanctuaries inside Afghanistan.
Pakistan initiated airstrikes along the border, and both sides exchanged heavy fire. The fighting caused dozens of casualties and led to key border crossings being shut; these remain closed.
