KARACHI: Pakistan’s defence minister said on Saturday he believes Afghanistan wants peace but that failure to reach an agreement during talks in Istanbul would mean “open war”, days after both sides agreed to a ceasefire following deadly border clashes.
The talks in Istanbul, which began on Saturday and are expected to continue into Sunday, mark the latest attempt by Pakistan and Afghanistan to prevent a relapse into violence after the worst border fighting since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Kabul.
The talks are meant to devise a mechanism to enforce the Doha ceasefire longer term.