Pakistan and Afghan Taliban resume talks in China

Pakistan and Afghanistan's Taliban governments have resumed talks in China, which is mediating between the two sides to broker a durable ceasefire after more than a month of fighting, two Pakistani officials said Wednesday, Report informs via the AP News.

Representatives from both countries are meeting in Urumqi, in northern China, the officials told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

China has not commented. Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs neither confirmed nor denied the latest development.

An Afghan official said the five-member Afghan delegation heading to Urumqi consisted of two officials from the foreign ministry and one each from the defense and interior ministries and from the country's intelligence agency.

The talks in Urumqi are seen as a potential relief for millions of people in Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan, the sources in Pakistan said, adding they may last for days and were only the beginning of a peace process between the two sides.

According to the sources, the latest round of talks began after both sides accepted China's offer to mediate and the two sides will continue their talks on Thursday to end the fighting. China has urged both sides to resume dialogue since late February, and its special envoy, Yue Xiaoyong, met his Pakistani counterpart, Mohammad Sadiq, last month after visiting Kabul.

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of providing a safe haven for militants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan, especially for the Pakistani Taliban. The group is separate but allied with the Afghan Taliban, which took over Afghanistan in 2021 in the wake of the chaotic withdrawal of US-led troops. Kabul denies the charge.

Pakistan's former special envoy for Afghanistan, Asif Durrani, expressed hope that the talks, if officially confirmed, would lead to substantive progress.

"If both sides reach an agreement as a result of reported talks, the critical issue will be a verification mechanism to ensure Afghan territory is not used for attacks against Pakistan," Durrani said.

The fighting, which erupted in late February, has been the most severe between Afghanistan and Pakistan in decades. Shortly after clashes began, Pakistan declared it was in "open war" with Afghanistan.