ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday warned the Afghan Taliban that Islamabad could “completely obliterate” the movement if militant attacks from Afghan soil persisted, hours after peace talks between the two sides collapsed in Türkiye.
Talks in Istanbul, facilitated by Türkiye and Qatar, ended Tuesday without an agreement. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the four-day discussions failed to yield a “workable solution,” accusing Kabul of evading commitments to curb militants operating from Afghanistan to launch attacks on Pakistan.
The negotiations followed a sharp rise in cross-border clashes earlier this month, the heaviest fighting in years. Pakistan said it had carried out air strikes near Kabul against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claiming the group enjoys sanctuary in Afghanistan. Taliban forces retaliated with assaults on Pakistani military posts along the disputed 2,600-km (1,600-mile) frontier.
Islamabad has demanded assurances that Afghan territory would not be used by the TTP or other militants staging raids into Pakistan, while the Taliban government urged Pakistan to respect its sovereignty and halt cross-border strikes. Kabul denies it harbors militants.
