Pakistan and Afghanistan restart talks in China to halt fighting: reports
Officials from Pakistan and Taliban engage in discussions to address terrorist threats and achieve a lasting ceasefire.
Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban governments have restarted talks in China, aiming to secure a lasting ceasefire after more than a month of cross-border attacks.
Two Pakistani officials, speaking anonymously, confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday that the meetings took place in the northern Chinese region of Urumqi, mediated by Beijing.
A third source said the discussions were aimed at ending the ongoing fighting.
China has not publicly commented and Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry declined to confirm or deny the negotiations.
Diplomatic contact between Islamabad and Kabul largely stopped after Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab-lil-Haq against terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan on February 26.
A Pakistani Foreign Ministry official, within anonymity, told the local daily Dawn that the current talks are not a “mediation effort per se,” but rather a way to test Afghanistan’s willingness to cooperate.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar attended the meetings at Beijing’s request, following Kabul’s proposal, according to another Pakistani official.
The same official described the talks as “exploratory,” led at the Director General level by Pakistan’s additional secretary for the Afghan desk.
“The Pakistan delegation also includes military and intelligence officials,” the official said, while Afghanistan’s delegation also includes representatives from the interior and foreign ministries.
Pakistan’s counter-terrorism operation
Since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in 2021, terrorist attacks resurged in the neighbouring country, with repeated appeals from Pakistan to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries across the border.
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of providing shelter to Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists and groups linked to the TTP. Kabul denies these allegations.
Islamabad launched Operation Ghazab-lil-Haq on February 26, after cross-border attacks from Afghanistan targeted Pakistani forces.
Pakistan paused the operation temporarily during Eid al Fitr, the Muslim holiday, from March 18 to 23, and said it would resume until objectives are achieved.
Regional powers — including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Türkiye — have urged de-escalation, influencing temporary pauses.