ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office on Friday said that Islamabad remains open to any mediation from Saudi Arabia to defuse tensions with Afghanistan, declaring that its truce with Kabul had collapsed because of continuing attacks by Afghanistan-based militant groups.
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalate further this week after Afghanistan accused Islamabad of carrying out overnight strikes on Afghan territory that killed 10 civilians. Pakistan’s military denied the allegations as Kabul warned of retaliation.
Pakistan has accused Kabul of harboring militant groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which carry out attacks inside Pakistan, seeking decisive action against them. The Afghan government denies the allegation and says Pakistan’s security challenges are its internal matter.
Responding to international media reports about a possible Saudi mediation between Islamabad and Kabul, Pakistani foreign office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said they had not yet received any formal proposal in this regard.
“I am not aware of any such concrete offer made by our Saudi friends,” Andrabi told reporters at a weekly press briefing in Islamabad on Friday.
