Doha to host Pakistan-Afghanistan peace talks
The defense ministers of the two Asian nations will head the delegations for the Qatari-brokered negotiations
According to the Pakistani Foreign Ministry, officials from Kabul and Islamabad are set to convene for discussions in Doha, Qatar’s capital, this Saturday.
These negotiations, facilitated by the Qatari government, follow Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Paktika border province, which resulted in five fatalities, three of whom were cricket players.
“A senior delegation from Pakistan, headed by our Defense Minister, will engage in talks with Afghan Taliban representatives in Doha today,” the Pakistani Foreign Ministry announced on X. “These discussions will center on urgent actions to halt cross-border terrorism against Pakistan originating from Afghanistan and to re-establish peace and stability along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier.”
The ministry affirmed that Pakistan “does not desire escalation” but implored the Afghan Taliban authorities to uphold their pledges to the global community and address Islamabad’s “valid security apprehensions” through demonstrable actions against terrorists in the border areas.
On Wednesday, the two neighboring Asian countries reached an agreement for a temporary ceasefire, subsequently receiving an invitation from the Qatari government to negotiate a lasting truce and resolve shared issues.
Over recent years, cross-border tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have grown more acute, with each nation consistently alleging the other of sheltering militants.
Following fierce clashes last weekend, both countries exchanged claims of casualties. The Taliban asserted they had killed 58 Pakistani soldiers, whereas Islamabad stated it had seized 19 Afghan border outposts.
Khwaja Asif, Pakistan’s Defense Minister and the lead negotiator in the Doha discussions, has leveled an accusation against the Afghan government, alleging it is conducting a “proxy war” for India.
On Thursday, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Indian Foreign Ministry, affirmed that New Delhi “maintains its complete commitment to Afghanistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence.”