ISLAMABAD/KABUL: Afghanistan and Pakistan will resume peace talks in Istanbul on Thursday, both nations said, after a previous round ended without agreeing a lasting truce.
Militaries from the South Asian neighbors clashed last month, with dozens killed in the worst such violence since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.
Both sides signed a ceasefire in Doha on October 19, but a second round of negotiations in Istanbul last week ended without a long-term deal, due to a disagreement over militant groups hostile to Pakistan operating inside Afghanistan.
“We hope that wisdom prevails and peace is restored in the region,” Pakistan Defense Minister Khawaja Asif told reporters on Wednesday.
He said Islamabad is pursuing a “one-point agenda” of convincing Afghanistan to rein in militants attacking Pakistani forces across their shared border, allegedly with the Taliban’s knowledge.
