��������

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s negotiating team is in Istanbul to begin a new round of peace talks with Afghanistan on Thursday, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said, reaffirming that Islamabad was seeking an end to cross-border militant attacks.

The two countries engaged in deadly border clashes last month that killed dozens of people on both sides before reaching a tenuous ceasefire amid peace talks mediated by Qatar and Türkiye.

Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan of sheltering militants who launch cross-border attacks while urging the authorities in Kabul not to let their land be used by armed factions. Afghanistan has frequently denied Islamabad’s allegation of any militant presence in the past, describing Pakistan’s security challenges as its internal matter.

However, the Taliban abandoned their traditional position more recently, with spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid telling media Pakistan did not accept Kabul’s proposal “to expel individuals whom Islamabad considers a threat” from Afghanistan during the last round of negotiations, a claim dismissed by Pakistani authorities.

“The delegation left today and negotiations will start tomorrow,” the Pakistani minister told a group of journalists outside the parliament building on Wednesday, referring to his country’s negotiators and the talks with Afghanistan. “Let’s hope the Afghans also act with some prudence and peace can be restored in this region.”

The two countries had agreed to an extended ceasefire with a monitoring and verification mechanism developed with the help of the mediating nations at the end of the last round of negotiations.

The next round of talks was announced to be held in Istanbul on Nov. 6.

Asked about the prospects of a positive outcome, Asif said: “If there are chances of progress, dialogue is held. If there are no chances, it’s just a waste of time, right?”

He added that Pakistan had a single-point agenda that militant attacks should end from Afghan territory.

Pakistan challenged the Afghan version that Islamabad refused Kabul’s proposal to expel militants launching attacks against its people and security personnel earlier this month.

“Pakistan had demanded that terrorists in Afghanistan posing a threat to Pakistan be controlled or arrested,” the information ministry said in a social media post. “When the Afghan side said that they were Pakistani nationals, Pakistan immediately proposed that they be handed over through designated border posts, consistent with Pakistan’s long-standing position.”

It added that the Afghan narrative over the issue was both “false and misleading.”

The talks are taking place amid an atmosphere of distrust, with both sides accusing the other of not acting in good faith.

However, the two countries preferred to continue negotiations at the encouragement of the mediating nations after the last round hit a deadlock.