Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to a ceasefire after peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday, after dialogue between the two sides failed earlier this week, UNN reports with reference to AP.
Details
According to media reports, the parties plan to meet again at a high level in Istanbul on November 6 to finally agree on how the ceasefire will be implemented, according to a statement from the ministry published on behalf of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and mediators Turkey and Qatar.
"All parties have agreed to implement a monitoring and verification mechanism that will ensure the maintenance of peace and the imposition of punishment on the violating party," the statement said.
The new round of talks, facilitated by Turkey and other friendly countries, aimed to ease border tensions between the two sides, who exchanged fire earlier this month, killing dozens of soldiers, civilians, and militants.
Addendum
Despite the failure of the previous round of talks, the ceasefire has largely held, and no new border clashes have been reported this week. However, both countries have kept major crossing points closed, leaving hundreds of trucks carrying goods and refugees on both sides.
Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif told Geo news channel that the decision to give peace another chance was made by Pakistan at the request of Qatar and Turkey, and that the Pakistani delegation, which was supposed to return home on Wednesday evening, was asked to stay in Istanbul.
According to Pakistani state television, Islamabad said the talks would be based on Pakistan's central demand that Afghanistan take clear, verifiable, and effective measures against militant groups.
In Islamabad, two senior security officials told the Associated Press that Pakistan reiterated that Afghan soil should not be used for what it calls "terrorism" against Pakistan, and that it appreciates the constructive role of its hosts and remains committed to finding a peaceful settlement in good faith.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with the media officially.
Recall
Tensions escalated earlier this month after explosions rocked Kabul, and Afghanistan's Taliban government accused Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes on the capital and bombing a market in the east of the country.