Pakistan-Afghanistan Peace Talks End With No Resolution
Deutsche Welle
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Peace talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan ended in a stalemate on Friday, with Afghanistan's Taliban goverrnment blaming the impasse on Islamabad's "irresponsible and uncooperative" approach.
Representatives of two neighboring countries met on Thursday in Turkey in a bid to secure a truce they had agreed to on October 19 after border clashes resulted in casualties on both sides.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid laid the blame with Pakistan.
"During the discussions, the Pakistani side attempted to shift all responsibility for its security to the Afghan government, while showing no willingness to take responsibility for either Afghanistan's security or its own," Mujahid said.
But despite the talks failing, the spokesman said the ceasfire "will hold."
Mujahid said "there is no issue" with the ceasefire, as he thanked Qatar and Turkey for their mediation roles.
What has Pakistan said about the negotiations?
In an interview with Pakistan's independent Geo news channel, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said that "as we speak, the talks are over."
However, he also said the ceasefire will continue until the Afghan side breaches it.
Neither country has shared details of the negotiations in Turkey.
On Thursday, Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarar had hinted that the negotiations were falling through, saying that Afghanistan had "so far failed" to fulfil its pledges to clamp down on terrorism.
"Pakistan shall continue to exercise all options necessary to safeguard the security of its people and its sovereignty," he said.
What is behind the Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions?
Fierce fighting erupted between the Pakistani military and Afghan Taliban forces last month, marking the deadliest conflict between the neighbors since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.
Tensions between the countries, who were once allies, increased after Islamabad demanded that Kabul take action against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a separate group closely linked to the Afghan Taliban.
The TTP seeks to impose a hard-line interpretation of Islam, particularly on Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan.
According to Pakistan's government, the group operates from Afghan soil with impunity, an allegation the Afghan Taliban denies.
TTP militants have stepped up attacks against Pakistani security forces in recent years.
A UN report this year found that the TTP "receive substantial logistical and operational support from the de facto authorities," referring to the Taliban government in Kabul.
The neighboring nations also share close historical, cultural and people-to-people ties.
Millions of Afghans who fled their war-ravaged country over the past 40 years have found shelter in Pakistan.
But in the wake of the clashes, Pakistan has intensified a crackdown on Afghan migrants in the country.
This article was originally published on DW.
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