Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has warned that Islamabad could enter an open conflict with the Taliban if ongoing negotiations with the Taliban fail to produce results.
The warning came as representatives of Pakistan and the Taliban held a new round of talks in Istanbul aimed at easing tensions and building on an earlier ceasefire agreement reached in Doha.
Asif, speaking to reporters in the city of Sialkot on Saturday, said that those who had taken part in the Doha negotiations on behalf of the Taliban had grown up in Pakistan. He led the Pakistani delegation in those talks, while Taliban Defence Minister Yaqub Mujahid and intelligence official Abdul Haq Wasiq represented the movement.
The minister noted that both sides had agreed to an immediate ceasefire in Doha, and that the second round of discussions was now under way in Türkiye. He said relations between the two neighbours remained strained despite Pakistan having hosted Afghan refugees for four decades, and he questioned why the Taliban continued to act in what he described as a hostile manner towards Islamabad.
Asif alleged that the Afghan Taliban were now functioning as a proxy force for India against Pakistan. He added that Afghan migrants had taken a significant share of Pakistan’s labour market and trade, saying that the two countries should aim to live side by side as neighbours in an atmosphere of fraternity and respect.
Referring to the outcome of the Doha negotiations, the minister said there had been no violent incidents in the past four or five days, but that Pakistan would move to open warfare with Afghanistan if the current dialogue failed.
Since the Doha agreement, attacks by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a group aligned with the Afghan Taliban, have halted. The TTP has carried out no assaults on Pakistani security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province since the ceasefire came into effect.
In the ongoing Istanbul talks, six Taliban officials from the ministries of interior, defence and foreign affairs are meeting seven Pakistani diplomats and security representatives to discuss implementation of the Doha accord.
According to Pakistani officials, Islamabad has asked the Taliban to prevent TTP activities on Afghan territory. In return, the Taliban have urged Pakistan to stop supporting groups opposed to their rule.
