Pakistan has agreed to resume talks with the Afghan Taliban at the request of mediator Turkiye, security sources said on Thursday.
A security official said the Pakistani delegation present in Istanbul, where the second round of dialogue between the two countries had begun over the weekend, was about to return but would extend its stay there.
However, the source stressed that the discussions will be held on Pakistan’s “main demand” that Afghanistan takes “clear, verifiable and effective action” against terrorists.
It was decided to “give another chance to peace” by continuing the talks, the security official said. They added that Pakistan again underscored that Afghan soil is not used to carry out terrorist attacks against Pakistan.
The talks, which are aimed at addressing terror attacks emanating from Afghan soil, had earlier failed to “bring about any workable solution”, according to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.
The statement was followed by strongly worded remarks by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who warned Kabul of strikes deep in Afghanistan if terrorist activities continued to target Pakistan.
More to follow
