'Afghanistan genuinely wants peace with Pakistan’ - Afghan official

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced a high level delegation visit to Pakistan as part of efforts to secure a lasting ceasefire between Kabul and Islamabad.

Erdogan added that  Ankara is closely observing the peace negotiations between Kabul and Islamabad as tensions between both countries remain high. 

According to an official statement released on Sunday, following his return from Baku, Azerbaijan, the Turkish President said that the country’s foreign minister, defence minister and intelligence chiefs will be visiting Islamabad to discuss the stalled peace talks between the two countries.

The visit aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire between Kabul and Islamabad “as soon as possible,” the statement read.

While meeting Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Baku, President Erdogan stressed that Türkiye is closely monitoring the ceasefire process between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Erdogan said that Türkiye is “closely following the terrorist attacks in Pakistan and the tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan,” and expressed hope of achieving successful negotiations with the support of Türkiye.

The third round of talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan in Istanbul ended without progress, as both sides traded blame for the deadlock.

In a statement, Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid framed the Istanbul talks as a missed opportunity, caused by what he called Pakistan’s “irresponsible and non-cooperative attitude.”

Kabul insisted that it participated in good faith and reiterated its “principled position” that no one would be allowed to use Afghan territory against another country.

At the same time, it rejected Islamabad’s accusations, asserting that Pakistan was attempting to shift blame for its own security failures.

In contrast, Pakistan’s statement expressed frustration over the Taliban’s “hollow promises” and lack of “concrete and verifiable actions” against groups such as the TTP and BLA.

Islamabad maintained that cross-border terrorism from Afghan soil remains its “core concern,” warning that those harbouring or financing militants “cannot be considered friends of Pakistan.”

While both sides voiced appreciation for Türkiye and Qatar’s mediation, the exchange of recriminations underscored deep mistrust and left the peace effort stalled, with each capital holding the other responsible for the deadlock.

Speaking to AnewZ, Shafi Azam, Director General for Economic Cooperation at the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasised that “Afghanistan genuinely wants peace with Pakistan.” However, he said Pakistan’s expectations are “unrealistic,” accusing Islamabad of “blaming Afghanistan for its own security failures.”

As peace talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan remain stalled and both trade blame for their failure, Türkiye’s latest mediation effort to break the deadlock and secure a lasting ceasefire has once again kindled hope among the war-weary and impoverished people of Afghanistan.

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