A Pakistani delegation has already arrived in Doha, while an Afghan delegation was expected to reach the Qatari capital on Saturday, said the sources, who did not want to be named as they were not authorised to speak to the media.
The sources said, “The temporary ceasefire was extended at the request of the Afghan Taliban government. High-level talks are expected to begin on Saturday.”
The Foreign Office (FO) earlier said that Pakistan and Afghanistan are sincerely working towards resolving the “complex but solvable” issue of border clashes amid a temporary ceasefire.
FO spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan during a weekly press briefing said that during the 48-hour ceasefire, both sides were making “sincere efforts to find a positive resolution to this complex but solvable issue through constructive dialogue”.
“Pakistan greatly values dialogue and diplomacy and a mutually beneficial relationship with Afghanistan,” he said. “At the same time, the Government of Pakistan continues to closely monitor the situation and would take all possible measures to safeguard its territory and the lives of its people.”
Khan added that Pakistan wants a “peaceful, stable, friendly, inclusive, regionally connected, and prosperous Afghanistan” but highlighted that Kabul needs to fulfil its obligations and promises under the Doha Process. He also reiterated Pakistan’s requests to the Afghan Taliban to prohibit the use of their soil for terrorism.
Read more: Pakistan agrees to 48-hour ceasefire at Afghan govt’s request after tense border clashes
He maintained, “Pakistan has repeatedly shared its concerns related to the presence of Fitna al Khawarij and Fitna al Hindustan operating from Afghan soil.”
Khan said, “Pakistan expects concrete and verifiable actions against these terrorist elements by the Taliban regime.”
On the night of August 11, Afghanistan launched an unprovoked attack on Pakistani border posts, triggering a series of skirmishes that carried on until Wednesday, leaving 23 troops martyred and over 200 Taliban fighters dead.
The Pakistan armed forces conducted “precision strikes” in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province and the capital Kabul. A temporary ceasefire was agreed at Afghanistan’s request for 48 hours, which expired at 6pm today.
