With peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan underway after border clashes, Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif issued a warning on Saturday.
The Pakistan minister reportedly warned that failure to reach an agreement with Afghanistan during the peace talks could lead to “open war”.
“We have the option, if no agreement takes place, we have an open war with them. But I saw that they want peace,” news agency Reuters quoted Asif as saying.
The neighbouring countries are embroiled in a security row, with each claiming that they were responding to aggression from the other during border clashes earlier this month.
Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of turning a blind eye to militants who cross the border for attacks, a charge which has been rejected by the Taliban government.
The fighting on the border is the deadliest between the two countries in several years, and marks a dramatic deterioration in ties during a time when armed groups like al-Qaida are trying to resurface in the region, the Associated Press reported.
While dozens of soldiers, , civilians and terrorists were killed in the border clashes, a temporary truce was called on October 19 after the two sides held talks mediated by Qatar and Turkey in Doha.
Second round of Pak-Afghanistan talks in Istanbul
The second round of talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan took place in Istanbul, Turkiye, with a focus on establishing a joint monitoring and oversight mechanism to curb cross-border terrorist movements, PTI news agency reported.
The discussions also addressed trade barriers, Radio Pakistan quoted official sources as saying. Both sides further explored the possibility of a long-term political understanding.
Pakistan reportedly submitted a comprehensive counterterrorism plan to Afghan Taliban during the talks, according to Geo News.
Before the talks began, Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi had said the country’s delegation “looks forward to the establishment of a concrete and verifiable monitoring mechanism in the next meeting.” Andrabi also highlighted that Pakistan’s demand for action against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).
