Afghanistan and Pakistan will hold peace talks in Doha on Saturday, both sides said, after the South Asia neighbours extended a ceasefire following a week of fierce border clashes.
Pakistan and Afghanistan on Friday extended the 48-hour truce for the duration of the Doha talks, sources said, as they seek to resolve the clashes that killed dozens and wounded hundreds in the worst violence between the two countries since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021.
"As promised, negotiations with the Pakistani side will take place today in Doha," Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement, adding that the Kabul team led by Defence Minister Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob had arrived in Doha.
In a statement, Pakistan's foreign office said Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif will lead discussions with representatives of the Afghan Taliban.
"The talks will focus on immediate measures to end cross-border terrorism against Pakistan emanating from Afghanistan and restore peace and stability along the Pak-Afghan border," it said.
PAUSE IN WORST FIGHTING SINCE TALIBAN TOOK KABUL
The fierce ground fighting between the one-time allies and Pakistani airstrikes across their contested 2,600-km (1,600-mile) frontier were triggered after Islamabad demanded that Kabul rein in militants who had stepped up attacks in Pakistan, saying they operated from havens in Afghanistan.
The Taliban denies giving haven to militants to attack Pakistan and accuses the Pakistani military of spreading misinformation about Afghanistan, provoking border tensions and sheltering ISIS-linked militants to undermine its stability and sovereignty. Islamabad denies the accusations.
Militant violence in Pakistan has been a major irritant in its relationship with the Afghan Taliban.
On Friday, a suicide attack near the Afghan border killed seven Pakistani soldiers and wounded 13, security officials said.
KABUL CONDEMNS PAKISTAN AIRSTRIKES
Islamabad does not seek escalation, Pakistan's foreign office said, urging the Afghan Taliban authorities to address Pakistan's "legitimate security concerns by taking verifiable action against terrorist entities".
"The Afghan regime must rein in the proxies who have sanctuaries in Afghanistan and are using Afghan soil to perpetrate heinous attacks inside Pakistan," the Pakistan Army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, said on Saturday, addressing a graduation ceremony of cadets.
The Afghan government's spokesperson said Pakistan had conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan hours after the ceasefire was extended.
He condemned the strikes, saying Kabul reserved the right to respond but that Afghan fighters had been directed to refrain from retaliating to maintain the status of and respect for its negotiating team.
The Pakistani military did not respond to a request for a comment on the airstrikes.
The airstrikes killed some local Afghan cricketers, prompting Kabul to announce that its national team will not play a cricket tournament in Pakistan scheduled for November, the Afghanistan Cricket Board said in a statement.
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