ISLAMABAD – Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban are about to come face-to-face in Qatar’s capital Doha today on Saturday for high-level peace talks as Doha stepped in as mediator to defuse soaring border tensions and a deadly wave of cross-border attacks.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Defence Minister Khawaja Asif is leading delegation to Doha to confront the Taliban leadership over rising terrorist attacks launched from Afghan soil.
According to the Foreign Office, the crucial discussions will focus on “immediate measures to end cross-border terrorism” and to restore long-lost peace and stability along the volatile Pak-Afghan frontier.
Pakistan has made its position clear — it “does not seek escalation” but demands that the Taliban honour their international commitments and take verifiable action against terror groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). Islamabad also lauded Qatar’s behind-the-scenes mediation, calling it a “vital step toward regional peace.”
Meanwhile, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that a high-powered Afghan team, led by Defence Minister Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob, has arrived in Doha for the talks, marking the first major dialogue between the two sides since tensions reached boiling point.
The talks come in the aftermath of an unprovoked cross-border assault on October 12, when Taliban and India-backed TTP militants attacked Pakistani forces. Pakistan Army struck back with deadly precision, killing over 200 militants in fierce clashes that also claimed 23 Pakistani soldiers.
Pakistan’s military later carried out “precision strikes” deep inside Kandahar and Kabul, destroying multiple terrorist hideouts in a bold show of strength.
After the ceasefire, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that Pakistan was ready for dialogue but only on “reasonable and responsible terms.”
With tensions simmering and the border stretching over 2,500 kilometres of volatile terrain, today’s talks in Doha could decide the future of peace or peril between the two uneasy neighbours.
