Afghanistan and Pakistan extend ceasefire. Another round of talks will take place in a few days
“All parties agreed to introduce a monitoring and verification mechanism that will ensure the maintenance of peace and impose penalties on any party that violates the agreement,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said at the end of talks that have been taking place in Istanbul since Saturday.
Another round of talks at the beginning of November
The negotiations scheduled for November 6, which will also be held in Istanbul, will aim to find detailed ceasefire solutions. Türkiye and Qatar, which mediated in the part of the negotiations that ended on Thursday, declared their readiness to continue mediation.
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When will the next round of talks take place?
What monitoring mechanism was introduced in the ceasefire?
Who mediated the talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan?
When did the ceasefire between these countries come into effect?
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid issued a separate statement confirming that the talks had ended and saying that both sides had agreed to continue discussions at future meetings. He added that Afghanistan “seeks good relations with Pakistan based on mutual respect and non-interference.” Pakistani authorities did not immediately comment on the message conveyed by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
The ceasefire agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan came into force on October 19 after tensions between the countries increased significantly in the first half of October. Dozens of people died in the fighting on the border that lasted over a week. It was also the most serious armed confrontation in Afghanistan since the Taliban took power in the country in August 2021.
Pakistan accuses the government in Kabul of sheltering the rebel Islamist group Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has been attacking Pakistani security forces since 2007. According to the Pakistani authorities, this group wants to overthrow the government in Islamabad and introduce fundamentalist Islamic law in Pakistan. Kabul denies these accusations.
The border between the countries, which is over 2.6 thousand kilometers long. km, marked out in 1893 by the British diplomat Mortimer Durand. It ran between the then emirate of Afghanistan and British India. Afghanistan never recognized it.
