Armed Taliban personnel are sitting next to an anti-aircraft gun in the Spinghar district of Kandahar province near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Previously, there was a clash between Pakistani and Afghan forces in the border area (Reuters)

Pakistan said that talks in Istanbul between Pakistan and Afghanistan have stalled, as the day before, both sides accused each other of instigating border clashes, which could undermine the ceasefire agreement brokered by Qatar.

Minister of Information Attaullah Tarar made the statement on the progress of the talks on Friday. Previously, an Afghan official stated that despite ongoing joint negotiations, the Pakistani and Afghan armies were still clashing along their common border, resulting in the death of four Afghan civilians and five others injured.

Afghan side has not yet commented immediately on Pakistan's claims.

In a statement expressing gratitude for the mediation talks by Turkey and Qatar, Tarar insisted that the Afghan Taliban failed to fulfill their commitments to the international community regarding curbing "terrorism" under the 2021 Doha Peace Agreement.

Tarar stated that Pakistan "will not support any measures taken by the Taliban government that do not serve the interests of the Afghan people or neighboring countries." He did not elaborate further, but added that Pakistan continues to seek peace and goodwill for the Afghan people, but will also take "all necessary measures" to protect its people and national sovereignty.

The head of the Information and Culture Department in Spinghar, Ali Mohammad Hakim, accused Pakistan of instigating the shooting incident. However, he stated that the Afghan army did not respond during the peace talks held in Istanbul.

Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, Tahira Andrabi, stated that it was Afghanistan that instigated the shooting incident.

The Ministry of Information of Pakistan stated, "Pakistan is committed to continuous dialogue and expects the Afghan authorities to respond in kind."

The ministry stated that the ceasefire agreement remains valid.

Andrabi stated that Pakistan's National Security Advisor Asim Malik is leading the Pakistani delegation in negotiations with Afghanistan. According to Mujahid, the Afghan side is led by the Director General of the Afghan Intelligence Directorate, Abdul Haq Wasiq.

He said that Pakistan has submitted its demands to the mediators, "whose only purpose is to end cross-border terrorism," and "the mediators are discussing Pakistan's demands point by point with the Taliban delegation."

Pakistan's fragile peace with the Taliban

Tensions

Islamabad accuses Kabul of harboring armed groups, particularly the TTP, which often claims responsibility for deadly attacks within Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban deny harboring the group.

Since the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan in 2021, many leaders and militants of the TTP are believed to have sought refuge in Afghanistan, further escalating tensions between the two countries.

Turkey said at the end of last week's talks that all parties had agreed to establish a monitoring and verification mechanism to maintain peace and punish violators.

According to the United Nations, 50 civilians have been killed on the Afghan side of the conflict that started on October 9 this year, and 447 have been injured. At least five people died in an explosion in Kabul, and the Taliban government blamed Pakistan for it.

The Pakistani military reported that 23 soldiers were killed and 29 injured, but did not mention civilian casualties.

Sources: News Agency

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