Pakistani and Afghan forces exchanged fire Thursday along their shared border, testing the fragile ceasefire even as officials from both countries held peace talks in Istanbul aimed at resolving cross-border militancy issues.
The border incident occurred at Chaman, with both sides blaming each other for initiating the firing. Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting strongly rejected Afghan claims about the incident, stating that "firing was initiated from the Afghan side, to which our security forces responded immediately in a measured and responsible manner." The ministry added that Pakistan "remains committed to ongoing dialogue and expects reciprocity from Afghan authorities."
No casualties were reported, and spokespeople for both sides confirmed they remained committed to the ceasefire and continued negotiations. The temporary ceasefire, established on October 19 in Doha after violent clashes from October 11-15, has been extended and largely held despite Thursday's strain.
The third round of talks in Istanbul aims to address contentious issues left unresolved in previous negotiations held in Doha on October 19 and Istanbul on October 25. Pakistan's delegation is led by Lieutenant General Asim Malik, Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence and national security advisor, while the Afghan Taliban delegation includes General Directorate of Intelligence chief Abdul Haq Waseq, Deputy Interior Minister Rehmatullah Najib, and Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen.
Sources indicated the talks were held in a "good atmosphere" and could be extended if necessary. Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Islamabad was pursuing a "one-point agenda" of convincing Afghanistan to control militants attacking Pakistani forces.
Relations between Pakistan and the Taliban have deteriorated sharply in recent years. Islamabad accuses Kabul of harboring the Pakistani Taliban, a separate militant group targeting Pakistani military forces. The Afghan Taliban denies this, claiming it has no control over the group. The October violence began after Pakistani airstrikes on Kabul targeting Pakistani Taliban leaders, prompting Afghan Taliban attacks on Pakistani border posts.
