ISLAMABAD: The next round of talks between the Pakistan and Afghanistan governments will be held in Istanbul today, as Pakistan said that no major terrorist attack has taken place from Afghan soil since the Doha ceasefire agreement.
Tahir Andrabi said that no major terrorist attack has taken place from Afghan soil in Pakistan in the last two to three days. So, in fact, the Doha talks have been fruitful. We would like this trend to continue in Istanbul and beyond. The spokesperson said that Pakistan’s key expectation from the Afghan side remains that Afghan soil should not be used for terrorist attacks against Pakistan.The Foreign Office has termed this development as a positive outcome. The Foreign Office spokesperson has said that Afghan transit trade is currently closed and will remain closed until the security situation is reviewed. Addressing his first weekly media briefing, the newly appointed Foreign Office spokesperson, Tahir Andrabi, said that the ceasefire agreed in Doha earlier this week has largely maintained itself.
Tahir Andrabi reiterated that Islamabad approached this process with sincerity of purpose and intention. The talks aimed to establish a verified and experimental mechanism to ensure that the Taliban government in Kabul takes concrete action against terrorist groups targeting Pakistan.
He confirmed that the Doha agreement was the result of delegation-level talks led by Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, which focused on eliminating cross-border terrorism and restoring peace on the border.
The next meeting, to be hosted by Turkey in Istanbul on October 25, will seek to finalize the proposed monitoring framework. It is not known why Special Representative Mohammad Sadiq did not attend the Doha talks. Responding to questions about recent statements by Afghan officials that disputed the existence of a formal agreement, Tahir Andrabi said Pakistan does not attach importance to terminology.
He said that we do not pay much attention to the names attributed by the Taliban, whether it is an agreement or a ceasefire, or a treaty. The fact that a concrete document has been finalized is commendable. He added that Pakistan is taking Afghan threats and cross-border attacks seriously.
He stressed that the security of Islamabad and the lives of its citizens should be prioritized over trade facilities. Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi has said that Afghan transit trade is currently closed and will remain closed until the security situation is reviewed. Armed attacks have been carried out against Pakistan at border points linked to the Afghan transit trade. Pakistanis have been killed in these attacks. For us, the lives of Pakistanis are more important than any trade.
Tahir Andrabi, although he did not confirm who would lead the Pakistani delegation in the Istanbul talks, said that a representative Pakistani delegation would attend the meeting. The Foreign Office spokesperson, while responding to questions about the Taliban’s plan to build a dam on the Kunar River, said that Pakistan is reviewing the issue. He said that border rivers operate under international law. In such matters, Pakistan is both an upstream and downstream territory, and we will follow the matter accordingly.
Andrabi said that Pakistan still wants peace and stability in Afghanistan. Our message to the Taliban government in Kabul is clear: stop cross-border attacks, control and capture terrorists of TTP and other armed groups, and then our relations can be back on track. We are not asking them for any moon; we are asking them to fulfill their promises.
The Foreign Office spokesperson added that the Polish Foreign Minister arrived in Pakistan, where two memoranda of understanding were signed between Pakistan and Poland. Pakistan will continue to fully support the just cause of the Palestinian people. The spokesperson said that the International Court of Justice has given another advisory opinion against Israel.
This is the fourth decision of the International Court of Justice against Israel since January 2024. The spokesperson further said that Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar had three important diplomatic contacts this week. These included separate talks with the foreign ministers of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Morocco.
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