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ISLAMABAD -- Peace talks betwixt Pakistan and Afghanistan successful Istanbul person ended without agreement, with the sides trading blasted for the breakdown successful negotiations aimed astatine easing borderline tensions and upholding a fragile ceasefire, officials said Saturday.
Tensions person escalated successful caller weeks pursuing deadly borderline warring that killed dozens of soldiers and civilians. The unit erupted aft explosions successful Kabul connected Oct. 9, which Afghanistan's Taliban authorities said were drone strikes conducted by Pakistan and vowed to avenge. The clashes subsided aft Qatar brokered a ceasefire connected Oct. 19, which remains tenuously successful place.
Afghanistan's authorities spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, blamed Pakistan for the talks' failure, saying that “Pakistan’s demands successful the negotiations were unreasonable and the talks could not proceed, the gathering ended and the talks are astatine a standstill for now.”
Speaking during a property league from the confederate Afghan metropolis of Kandahar Saturday, Mujahid said Afghanistan “(does) not privation insecurity successful the region, and entering into warfare is not our archetypal choice,” but helium noted that “if warfare breaks out, we person the close to support ourselves.”
Earlier, helium had reiterated successful a written connection that Afghanistan “will not let anyone to usage its territory against different country, nor licence actions that undermine its sovereignty oregon security.”
The two-day talks successful Istanbul, mediated by Turkey and Qatar, were the 3rd circular of bid negotiations that were viewed arsenic 1 of the astir important diplomatic efforts betwixt the 2 neighbors since the Taliban seized powerfulness successful Afghanistan 2021. Despite aggravated back-channel diplomacy, officials said discussions stalled precocious Friday without tangible progress.
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif told the backstage Geo News transmission precocious Friday that the “talks are over” and that the Pakistani delegation was returning location with “no program for immoderate aboriginal meetings.” He added that the ceasefire would stay successful spot arsenic agelong arsenic “it is not violated from the Afghan side.”
Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers of harboring the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a militant radical liable for a surge successful attacks wrong Pakistan since 2021. Kabul denies the charge, saying it does not let its territory to beryllium utilized against different countries.
Although abstracted from Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, the TTP is intimately allied with it and has been emboldened since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Kabul.
During his quality conference, Mujahid rejected accusations that Afghanistan was liable for the actions of the TTP, saying the instauration of the radical had agelong predated the Taliban's 2021 takeover of Afghanistan.
The illness of talks came the nighttime aft Afghan officials reported that 4 civilians were killed and 5 others wounded successful cross-border clashes contempt the ongoing negotiations.
Asif said the Afghan delegation came “without immoderate program” and refused to motion a written agreement, insisting lone connected verbal assurances. “They said they would respect a verbal agreement, but determination is nary country for that,” helium said. “There is nary program oregon anticipation for immoderate 4th circular of talks. Talks person entered an indefinite pause.”
Earlier this month, Pakistan’s subject said it carried retired airstrikes connected the hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban wrong Afghanistan, sidesplitting dozens of radical it described arsenic insurgents. Afghan officials denied the claim, saying civilians were among the dead, and said Afghan forces had struck Pakistani subject posts successful retaliation, sidesplitting 58 soldiers. Pakistan’s subject acknowledged losing 23 troops successful the fighting.
The unit prompted Qatar to invitation delegations from some sides to Doha, wherever they agreed to a ceasefire connected Oct. 19. It was followed by six days of talks successful Istanbul, which resulted successful an statement to widen the truce and clasp a 3rd circular connected Nov. 6 and 7 — talks that yet failed to nutrient immoderate breakthrough.
Since then, Pakistan has kept each of its borderline crossings with Afghanistan closed, though it partially reopened the main Torkham crossing past week to let stranded Afghan refugees to instrumentality home.
The closure, imposed connected Oct. 12, has disrupted captious commercialized and transit routes and stranded thousands of people. Hundreds of trucks loaded with goods stay backed up connected some sides of the frontier, cutting disconnected 1 of the busiest economical arteries linking South and Central Asia.
Alongside the borderline restrictions, Pakistan is pursuing a nationwide run to deport undocumented foreigners, the bulk of them Afghans. Since 2023, authorities accidental much than a cardinal Afghan nationals person been sent backmost arsenic portion of the repatriation drive.
Pakistan has besides witnessed a surge successful militant attacks, galore claimed by the TTP, which is designated arsenic a violent enactment by the United States and the United Nations.
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Abdul Qahar Afghan contributed to this study from Kabul, Afghanistan
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