ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is holding talks with Afghanistan to end the current conflict between the two countries, but Kabul must “demonstrate visible and verifiable actions”, said Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi on Thursday.
Since Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan on February 26, diplomatic contact between the two sides had largely ceased.
The talks in the northwestern Chinese city of Urumqi were being held between senior officials of the two countries, the spokesperson said in his weekly press briefing.
The meeting was focused on sharing perspectives on the latest escalation. No major outcomes were expected, though it was believed that China was pushing for confidence-building measures, such as reopening trade routes.
The spokesperson recounted the visit of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to Beijing earlier this week at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, saying that it “provided an opportunity for both sides to hold in-depth discussions on regional issues as well as bilateral matters of global and mutual concerns”.
During his opening remarks, Andrabi mentioned that Afghanistan was one of the issues that came up for discussion between the two foreign ministers. Pressed later for details, he confirmed that Pakistan had sent a delegation to Urumqi for talks.
The spokesperson added that Pakistan had sent the delegation “in line with its consistent position and longstanding practice of supporting a credible process that can lead to [a] durable solution … to stop border terrorism from Afghanistan”.
“Our participation is a reiteration of our core concerns,” he stated. “The burden of real process, however, lies with Afghanistan, which must demonstrate visible and verifiable actions against terrorist groups using Afghan soil against Pakistan.”
Andrabi added that the deputy prime minister’s visit to Beijing, despite medical advice to rest after suffering a hairline fracture during the quadrilateral talks in Islamabad, was evidence of the importance that the country placed on its relationship with China.
The spokesperson also referred to a “milestone” achieved during the visit, a five-point initiative by China and Pakistan for restoring peace and stability in the region, in which they called on the immediate cessation of hostilities and starting peace talks as soon as possible.
He said that the initiative had been well-received, garnering appreciation “across the region and beyond”.
“It is an effort towards ending war, it is an effort towards cessation of hostility and it is an effort towards paving the way for a sustainable pathway towards finding the lasting settlement of the ongoing hostilities,” he said.
In addition, speaking on the quadrilateral consultations between the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt, he said that Pakistan “highly values” its relations with these “brotherly countries”.
“These interactions provided an opportunity to further strengthen Pakistan’s cooperation and coordination with these three countries across multifaceted areas of mutual interest,” he added.
The meeting, chaired by FM Dar, brought together foreign ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt as part of a coordinated regional push to de-escalate the conflict between the United States and Iran that has now completed its first month, raising fears of wider spillover and disruption to global energy supplies.
There has been a resurgence in terrorism in Pakistan since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.
Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban administration to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil, particularly those linked to the banned TTP. Officials say those appeals have gone unheeded.
Operation Ghazab lil-Haq was launched on the night of February 26, following unprovoked firing by the Afghan Taliban from across the border.
From March 18 to 23, Pakistan observed a five-day temporary pause in the operation on the occasion of Eidul Fitr, with the FO later saying it would continue “until its objectives are achieved”.
De-escalation requests from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye were part of the reasons behind the pauses announced by both sides, according to their respective statements.
