Pakistan, Afghan Taliban to hold second round of Talks in Istanbul on Saturday

ISLAMABAD, Oct. 24 (YPA) – Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the second round of talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban will take place in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Saturday.

The ministry noted that Islamabad seeks to establish a “tangible and verifiable monitoring mechanism” to curb terrorist attacks launched from Afghan territory against Pakistan.

In a statement, the ministry’s spokesperson stated that while Islamabad is not seeking to escalate tensions, Afghanistan must remain committed to its counterterrorism obligations.

Tahir Hussain Andrabi  added: “Pakistan does not seek escalation but urges the Afghan Taliban authorities to honor their commitment to the international community and address Pakistan’s legitimate security concerns by taking verifiable action against terrorist entities.”

Regarding the Doha talks, Andarabi said that since the Doha talks, Pakistan has not witnessed any attacks launched from Afghan territory — something that can be considered one of the successes of the Doha talks.

The spokesperson also confirmed that, so far, Afghan transit trade has not been reopened, and that, for security reasons, the Afghan transit trade will remain closed until further notice.

@E.Y.M