 "Afghan Defence Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid and Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif shake hands following the signing of a ceasefire agreement mediated by Qatar and Turkey, in Doha, Qatar. Reuters")
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday said that the peace negotiations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been suspended with “no programme for the fourth round of talks”. “There is a complete deadlock. The negotiations have entered an indefinite phase,” the Pakistani defence minister said while speaking to Geo News.
Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban regime started the third round of talks in Istanbul on Thursday. The talks were coming at a time when tensions between the two nations reached an all-time high, eventually leading to deadly border clashes. The meeting also came after earlier five-day talks that resulted in a last-minute interim agreement.
While speaking to Geo News, the defence minister thanked Turkey and Qatar for their “sincere efforts” and facilitated the talks between the two sides. “They support our stance. Even the Afghan delegation agreed with us; however, they were not ready to sign a written agreement,” he said, adding that Pakistan would accept only a formal, written accord. “They wanted verbal assurances to be accepted, which is not possible in international negotiations,” he added.
Asif emphasised that both Turkey and Qatar tried their best to resolve the animosities between the two sides. “Our only demand is that Afghanistan must ensure its soil is not used for attacks on Pakistan,” he said.
Asif issues fresh warning
In the same interview, Asif went on to unleash wrath against Afghanistan, warning that Pakistan “would respond strongly” if provoked. “If there is any attack from Afghan soil, we will respond accordingly,” he stated, adding that as long as there is no aggression, the ceasefire will remain intact.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar also put the onus on Afghanistan to ensure stability in the region in a post on X. “Pakistan does not harbour any ill-will against the Afghan people. However, it shall never support the Afghan Taliban Regime’s any measures that are detrimental to the interest of the Afghan people as well as the neighbouring countries,” Tarar said. “Pakistan shall continue to exercise all options necessary to safeguard the security of its people and its sovereignty,” he concluded.
At the end of the last talks, all the parties involved in the negotiations released a joint statment that stated that both sides agreed to maintain the ceasefire and establish a monitoring and verification mechanism to ensure peace and penalise any violations.