Pakistan Warns of Possible War if Talks with Taliban Fail

DID Press: Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawja Muhammad Asif warned that war remains an option if ongoing negotiations between Islamabad and Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities in Istanbul fail to yield results.

Speaking to Geo News ahead of the third round of talks between the two sides, Asif said that if the current dialogue collapses, the situation “will worsen.” He added that Pakistan has “several options” and may respond “in kind” to recent targeted attacks on its security forces.

The remarks come as delegations from the Taliban government and Pakistan are set to meet in Istanbul on Thursday (Nov. 6).

Taliban officials prevously warned that any attack inside Afghanistan territory will be met with a “decisive response.”