Afghanistan, Pakistan Agree to Maintain Truce

DID Press: In latest effort to reduce tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, officials from both countries met in Saudi Arabia and agreed to maintain the existing ceasefire.

Three Afghan officials and two Pakistani officials, one of whom is based in Istanbul, told Reuters that they “agreed to uphold the ceasefire.” A senior Taliban government official commented: “We are open to further meetings to achieve positive results.”

These talks follow previous efforts in Qatar and Turkey, which, while helping reduce clashes, did not lead to a formal peace agreement. Nevertheless, the ceasefire between the two countries remains in effect.

Pakistani officials said that representatives from the army, intelligence agencies, and the foreign ministry participated in the discussions.

Islamabad has repeatedly claimed that militant groups operating from Afghanistan have carried out attacks inside Pakistan, and that Kabul has not responded to repeated requests to act against these groups. The Taliban have denied this, stating that “Afghanistan’s territory is not used against Pakistan.”

The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Pakistani military, the Taliban spokesperson, and the Saudi government did not comment to Reuters questions.