Afghanistan, Pakistan to resume truce talks in Istanbul

ISTANBUL, Turkey, November 9 ------ Afghan and Pakistani negotiators are set to resume ceasefire talks in Turkey, aiming to prevent a return to hostilities following their worst clashes in years. Relations between the South Asian neighbors have soured in recent years, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of harboring militant groups that carry out attacks in Pakistan, which the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan deny.

The latest conflict erupted after explosions in the Afghan capital Kabul on Oct. 9 that the Taliban government blamed on Pakistan, prompting a retaliatory border offensive. The ensuing fighting killed more than 70 people, including civilians, and wounded hundreds more.

The two countries, former allies who share a 2,600-kilometer (1,600-mile) frontier, agreed on Oct. 19 to a ceasefire mediated by Turkey and Qatar, although its details have not been finalized. A tense round of negotiations in Istanbul spanning several days ended last week with an agreement to extend the ceasefire and to meet again on Thursday. It was not clear who would be leading the delegations.

Host Turkey said at the conclusion of last week’s talks that the parties had agreed to establish a “monitoring and verification mechanism” to maintain peace and penalize violators. Negotiators are now expected to hammer out the details of that mechanism and other issues concerning the implementation of the ceasefire. But mistrust abounds. Both sides have accused the other of not acting in good faith and warned of a resumption of fighting should the truce collapse.

Pakistani officials have also described Kabul as acting like a proxy of archrival India, which has forged close ties with the Afghan Taliban since it returned to power in August 2021. The Kabul explosions that sparked the conflict last month coincided with India rolling out the red carpet for the United Nations

Source: manilatimes.net