Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Friday that the talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan on addressing cross-border terrorism are “over” and have “entered an indefinite phase” as negotiators failed to bridge deep differences between the two sides, adding that the ceasefire stands for the time being.
“Right now, as we speak, negotiations are over,” said the defence minister while speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’.
Earlier, officials and sources said the talks stalled without any agreement. “The talks in Istanbul are deadlocked,” a senior security source told reporters, confirming that the third round of discussions — which had began on Thursday in the Turkish capital — had hit an impasse.
The defence minister added that the Afghan Taliban delegation again came to Istanbul “without any programme” and that they were not willing to sign a written agreement. “They said that they would only respect the verbal agreement, but there is no room to do that.”
Asif elaborated that during the earlier rounds, the negotiators urged for another round. “Even after the talks in Istanbul failed, they committed that they would participate in the next round.”
“Our returning empty-handed reinforces a lack of
Continue Reading on Dawn
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.