ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has once again urged the Afghan Taliban to play their role to completely halt the infiltration from Afghan soil.
Speaking to the media on Friday, Khawaja Asif urged the Afghan Taliban to stop supporting the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
He added that it is up to the Afghan regime to determine how to curb this support, whether through collective action or by addressing elements within their ranks.
The minister also announced that the next round of Pak-Afghan dialogue will take place on the sixth of next month.
Khawaja Asif said that regardless of the final form of any agreement, a verification system will be established to monitor its implementation. He emphasised that this monitoring mechanism will be critical for identifying violations and determining when guarantor powers may need to intervene.
The Defence Minister praised Qatar and Turkiye for their constructive role in the negotiations, emphasising that Pakistan highly views its relationship with these countries.
Khawaja Asif stated Pakistan’s desires for coexistence, but made it clear that normal bilateral ties can only be achieved once terrorism emanating from Afghanistan is stopped.
Following six days of talks, Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime agreed to uphold the ceasefire, Turkiye’s foreign ministry said late Thursday.
“Further modalities of the implementation will be discussed and decided in a principal level meeting in Istanbul on 6 November 2025,” read a joint statement on the talks through the mediation of Turkiye and Qatar.
It further said that the meetings were held in Istanbul from October 25-30 aimed at solidifying the ceasefire which was agreed by Afghanistan and Pakistan in Doha on October 18-19.
“All parties have agreed to put in place a monitoring and verification mechanism that will ensure maintenance of peace and impose a penalty on the violating party,” it added
According to Pakistani officials, Islamabad’s key objective in the Istanbul talks was to secure firm guarantees from the Afghan Taliban that Afghanistan’s soil would not be used for terrorist activities against Pakistan.
Pakistan demanded verifiable action against terrorist groups it accuses of receiving Indian support, particularly the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).
