Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to extend ceasefire

The truce was first declared on October 19 following weeks of violence that killed dozens after Pakistan launched airstrikes on Afghan territory targeting Pakistani Taliban militants.

Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed Thursday to extend a ceasefire following peace talks in Istanbul, after their deadliest border clashes in years.

A follow-up round of negotiations will be held in Istanbul next week, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said.

According to the ministry, both sides would meet again on November 6 to finalize a monitoring mechanism to “ensure maintenance of peace and imposing penalty on the violating party.”

The peace talks, mediated by Turkey and Qatar, had faltered earlier this week, with the Afghan state media blaming the “unreasonable demands of the Pakistani side.”

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the talks had concluded and said Afghanistan sought “good relations with Pakistan based on mutual respect and non-interference.”

The Pakistan government has not issued a comment.
Islamabad says Kabul sheltering militant groups

The ceasefire was first declared on October 19 and followed violence that killed dozens after Pakistan launched airstrikes on Afghan territory targeting Pakistani Taliban militants.

Islamabad accuses Kabul of sheltering militant groups that launch cross-border attacks, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which it says operates from Afghan territory.

“Any terrorist attack or any suicide bombing inside Pakistan shall give you the bitter taste of such misadventures,” Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif had said earlier this week.

Kabul denied the claims and condemned the attacks as violations of its sovereignty.

Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani said on Thursday that “some (in Pakistan), consciously or unconsciously, are playing with fire and war.”

He added that Afghans “do not want war,” but for Kabul, “defending the territory is one of the priorities.”

While the ceasefire has largely held, the border between the two countries remains closed, stranding hundreds of trucks and disrupting trade along the 2,600-kilometre frontier.