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Pakistan, Afghan Taliban Delegations Hold Talks in Doha Amid Border Tensions

By The South Asia Times

ISLAMABAD— Delegations from Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban reportedly held talks in Doha, the capital of Qatar, on Friday to discuss the recent escalation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, according to official and media sources.

The Pakistani delegation was led by a senior security official, while the Taliban side was headed by Acting Defense Minister Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob, sources said.

Afghan broadcaster Tolo News had earlier reported that the Taliban delegation departed for Doha on Thursday to attend the meeting aimed at addressing the causes of recent border clashes between the two neighboring countries.

According to Pakistani sources, Islamabad’s primary agenda in the talks is to seek firm assurances and concrete action from the Taliban regime against the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which Islamabad says is using Afghan soil to launch attacks inside Pakistan.

“The Pakistani delegation has one key point — to secure the Taliban’s commitment to act decisively against TTP elements sheltering in Afghanistan,” a source familiar with the talks said.

Earlier on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan told reporters in Islamabad that he had “no specific information” about the Doha talks but said any details would be shared once confirmed.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have been engaged in several rounds of discussions through diplomatic and security channels in recent months amid a surge in cross-border militant attacks and tensions along the frontier.