Asif gives Kabul a choice: pick peace or face open war

Islamabad, Kabul seek to firm up truce Istanbul negotiations to continue today

ISTANBUL:

Negotiators of Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime were locked in talks to hammer out a lasting ceasefire on Saturday, with Islamabad warning that if the Istanbul talks failed it could lead to "open war".

The talks in Istanbul are expected to continue into Sunday and mark the latest attempt by the two neighbours to prevent a relapse into violence after the worst border fighting since the Taliban's 2021 takeover of Kabul. The talks are meant to devise a mechanism to enforce the Doha ceasefire longer term.

"The (Istanbul) talks are going on," Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told reporters in Sialkot on Saturday, while warning that if they "do not yield a positive outcome, there will be an open war with Afghanistan".

Asif said there had been no incidents in the four to five days since it was agreed, and both sides were complying with the truce. "We have the option, if no agreement takes place, we have an open war with them," he said in televised remarks from Pakistan. "But I saw that they want peace."

Two weeks ago, the Taliban regime launched an unprovoked border offensive, triggering an outbreak of unexpectedly intense clashes that left dozens dead, among them civilians.

Vowing a strong response, Islamabad then carried out "precision strikes" against terrorists hideouts on Afghan soil which are at the heart of the dispute.

After further clashes that left soldiers and civilians dead, both sides declared an initial 48-hour ceasefire which collapsed two days later.

A second truce took shape last weekend following talks in Doha thanks to mediation by Qatar and Turkey, although the terms remained unclear.

In Istanbul, negotiators were expected to detail the "mechanisms" announced in Doha that would ensure a return to stability.

It was not clear where exactly the negotiators were meeting in Turkey's largest city, nor how long the talks would continue.

The Afghan delegation is led by its deputy interior minister, Haji Najib. Islamabad has not said who it has sent to the talks.

For the Taliban government, the goal is to ensure Afghanistan's territorial integrity.

For Islamabad, the negotiations must address "the menace of terrorism emanating from Afghan soil towards Pakistan," its Foreign Office spokesman Tahir Hussain Andrabi said on Friday.

Security issues are at the heart of recurring bilateral tensions.

Facing a resurgence of attacks against its security forces, Islamabad has repeatedly accused its Afghan neighbour of "harbouring" groups it views as "terrorist", primarily the banned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) -- a charge Kabul denies.

Throughout the confrontation, Islamabad demanded that the Taliban authorities "regain control" over fighters present on Afghan soil.

Turkey has not commented on Saturday's meeting beyond hailing the sides' joint decision in Doha "to establish mechanisms to strengthen peace and stability" and pledging to "continue to support the efforts" to achieve that.

The newly appointed Foreign Office spokesperson, Tahir Andrabi, while addressing his first weekly media briefing on Friday, had said the truce reached in Doha earlier this week had, "by and large held".

"There has been no major full-scale terrorist attack emanating from Afghan soil in Pakistan in the last two-three days," Andrabi noted. "So, in effect, the Doha talks and their outcome were fruitful. We would like the trend to continue in Istanbul and beyond."

The spokesperson said Pakistan's key expectation from the Afghan side remains unchanged that Afghan soil should not be used for terrorist attacks against Pakistan.

Andrabi reiterated that Islamabad approached the process with "sincerity of purpose and intent", emphasising that the objective of the talks was to establish a "verifiable and empirical mechanism" to ensure the Taliban regime in Kabul takes concrete action against terrorist groups targeting Pakistan.

He confirmed that the Doha agreement had resulted from delegation-level talks led by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, focusing on ending cross-border terrorism and restoring peace along the frontier. The next meeting, hosted by Türkiye in Istanbul on October 25, will seek to finalise the proposed monitoring framework.

He added that Pakistan continues to take Afghan threats and cross-border attacks seriously, stressing that Islamabad's security and the lives of its citizens take precedence over trade facilitation.

"At the border points linked with Afghan transit trade, armed attacks were carried out against Pakistan, killing Pakistanis," Andrabi said. "For us, the lives of Pakistanis are more important than any commodity traded."

While he did not confirm who would lead Pakistan's delegation at the Istanbul talks, Andrabi said "a representative Pakistani delegation" would participate in the meeting.

The spokesperson also responded to questions about the Taliban's plan to build a dam on the Kunar River, saying Pakistan was examining the matter.

"Trans-boundary rivers are governed by international law," he said. "In such matters, Pakistan is both an upper and lower riparian, and we will follow this matter accordingly."

Reaffirming Islamabad's approach towards Kabul, Andrabi said Pakistan still seeks peace and stability in Afghanistan.

"Our message to the Taliban regime in Kabul is clear - stop these attacks, control and apprehend the terrorists of the TTP and other armed groups, and our relations could be back on track. We are not asking for the moon; we are asking them to uphold their own commitments," he said.