Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to extend a ceasefire on Thursday following peace talks in Istanbul following the deadliest border clashes in years.
Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry said a follow-up round of talks would take place in Istanbul next week.
According to the ministry, the two sides will meet again on November 6 to finalize a monitoring mechanism to “ensure maintenance of peace and impose penalties on the violating party.”
Peace talks brokered by Turkey and Qatar broke down earlier this week, which Afghan state media blamed on “unreasonable demands from the Pakistani side”.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the talks were held and said Afghanistan “wants good relations with Pakistan on the basis of mutual respect and non-interference.”
The Government of Pakistan has not issued any comment.
Islamabad says Kabul is harboring terrorist groups
The ceasefire was first declared on October 19 and followed violence that left dozens dead after Pakistan launched airstrikes on Afghan territory targeting Pakistani Taliban militants.
Islamabad accuses Kabul of harboring terrorist groups carrying out cross-border attacks, particularly the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which it says operates from Afghan territory.
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said earlier this week, “Any terrorist attack or any suicide bombing inside Pakistan will give you the bitter taste of such audacity.”
Kabul denied the claims and condemned the attacks as a violation of its sovereignty.
Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani said on Thursday that “some (in Pakistan), knowingly or unknowingly, are playing with fire and war.”
He said Afghans “do not want war” But for Kabul, “protecting the region is one of the priorities.”
Although the ceasefire is largely in place, the border between the two countries remains closed, stranding hundreds of trucks and disrupting trade along the 2,600-km border.
Edited by: Dmytro Lyubenko