Doha [Qatar], October 18 : Pakistan's delegation, led by its Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, is set to hold talks with Taliban representatives in Doha on Saturday, Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Dozens were killed and hundreds were injured in the recent violence between the two countries.
As per the ministry, the talks aimed at ending "cross-border terrorism against Pakistan."
In a post on X, it said, "A high-level delegation from Pakistan, led by our Minister of Defence, will hold discussions with representatives of the Afghan Taliban in Doha today. The talks will focus on immediate measures to end cross-border terrorism against Pakistan emanating from Afghanistan and restore peace and stability along the Pak-Afghan border."
https://x.com/ForeignOfficePk/status/1979475426478301661
"Pakistan does not seek escalation but urges the Afghan Taliban authorities to honour their commitments to the international community and address Pakistan's legitimate security concerns by taking verifiable action against terrorist entities, including the FAK/TTP and FAH/BLA. Pakistan appreciates the mediation efforts of Qatar and hopes these discussions contribute to peace and stability in the region," it added.
Even as Pakistan and Afghanistan gear up to meet in Doha today to broker a peace after days of fighting and air strikes, the Taliban Government said that Afghanistan reserves the right to respond to Pakistani airstrikes on its land.
Taliban Spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, said that though Afghanistan is committed to peaceful resolution, the current incidents are due to acts of aggression by Pakistan.
In a series of posts on X, he said, "As previously agreed, negotiations with the Pakistani side are scheduled to take place today in Doha. In this regard, a high-level delegation of the Islamic Emirate, led by the Honorable Minister of Defense, Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, has departed for Doha. However, last night, Pakistani military forces once again conducted airstrikes on civilian areas in Paktika, resulting in the martyrdom and injury of a number of civilians. The Islamic Emirate strongly condemns, in the harshest terms, the repeated crimes of the Pakistani forces and the violation of Afghanistan's sovereignty. Such acts are deemed provocative and are viewed as deliberate attempts to prolong the conflict."
https://x.com/Zabehulah_M33/status/1979437247125414097
"While the Islamic Emirate reserves the right to respond to these violations, in order to maintain the dignity and integrity of its negotiating team, its forces have been instructed to refrain from undertaking new military operations at this time. We reiterate that Afghanistan remains committed to a peaceful resolution and regional stability. However, the ongoing incidents are entirely the result of aggression by the Pakistani side," he added.
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