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Peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Istanbul were deadlocked on Friday, a day after both sides accused each other of escalating border clashes, threatening to violate the Qatar-brokered ceasefire.
The update on the talks by Pakistan Information Minister Ataullah Tarar came after an Afghan official said that despite joint talks, four Afghan civilians were killed and five others were injured in clashes between Pakistani and Afghan forces along their shared border.
There was no immediate comment from Kabul about the Pakistani claim.
In a statement thanking Turkey and Qatar for mediating the talks, Tarar said the Afghan Taliban has failed to fulfill promises made to the international community about curbing terrorism under the 2021 Doha peace agreement.
Tarar said Pakistan “will not support any step by the Taliban government that is not in the interest of the Afghan people or neighboring countries.” He did not elaborate, but said Islamabad wants peace and goodwill for Afghans but will take “all necessary measures” to protect its people and sovereignty.
Ali Mohammad Hakmal, head of the information and culture department in Afghanistan’s Spin Boldak district, blamed Pakistan for the overnight firing, but said Afghan forces did not respond because of peace talks in Istanbul.
However, there was a largely tense calm along the Chaman border in southwest Pakistan, where there was a brief exchange of fire between the two sides on Thursday night, with both sides accusing each other.
Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi said on Friday that the firing was initiated by Afghanistan. Pakistan’s Information Ministry said late on Thursday that “the firing was initiated from the Afghan side, but the situation was brought under control.”
The ministry said the ceasefire brokered by Qatar on October 19 will remain intact.
Andrabi said Pakistan’s National Security Advisor Lieutenant General Asim Malik is leading the Pakistani delegation in the talks with Afghanistan. According to Mujahid, the Afghan side is led by Director of General Intelligence Abdul Haq Wasiq.
Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of harboring Pakistani terrorists carrying out cross-border attacks, a charge Kabul denies.
Tension has remained high since last month, when deadly clashes broke out along the border, killing dozens of people, including soldiers, civilians and suspected militants, and injuring hundreds on both sides. The fighting began after explosions in Kabul on October 9, which the Taliban government blamed on Pakistan and vowed revenge.
The worst of the violence between the neighbors in recent years subsided after a ceasefire brokered by Qatar.
Pakistan has seen a sharp increase in terrorist attacks in recent months, most claimed by the Pakistani Taliban – known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP – a group designated as a terrorist organization by the United Nations and the United States.
Despite being separate, the TTP is closely associated with the Afghan Taliban. Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, many of its leaders and fighters are believed to have taken refuge in Afghanistan, further straining relations between the two countries.
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