Pakistan agrees to resume talks with Afghanistan

ISTANBUL: Pakistan has expressed its willingness to resume talks with Afghanistan, sources confirmed on Thursday.

According to diplomatic sources, the Pakistani delegation was scheduled to return home today after earlier negotiations with Afghan representatives failed to yield results. However, Turkish officials requested the delegation to stay in Istanbul.

Sources added that Afghan authorities also made diplomatic contacts regarding the stalled dialogue, leading both sides to agree on reviving bilateral talks.

According to diplomatic sources, Turkey is keen to ensure that the ongoing Pakistan-Afghanistan talks under its mediation yield positive and lasting results.

Sources said the Pakistani delegation, which was earlier set to return home, will now extend its stay in Istanbul to resume dialogue and give peace another chance.

The negotiations, sources added, will primarily focus on Pakistan’s core demand that Afghanistan take clear, verifiable, and effective action against terrorist elements operating from its soil.

Pakistan has once again emphasized that Afghan territory must not be used for activities against Pakistan, sources confirmed.

The delegation participating in the renewed talks comprises the same officials who took part in the earlier round of discussions with Afghan counterparts.

Earlier, Federal Information Minister Atta Tarar had announced that the previous round of talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Istanbul had ended without success.

On October 19, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Pakistan and Afghanistan had agreed to an immediate ceasefire, which was later extended by mutual consent.