Afghan delegation departs for Qatar to have discussions with the Pakistani delegation

Pakistan – Afghanistan – (Special Correspondent / Web Desk)- An Afghan delegation has travelled to Qatar to engage in talks with the Pakistani side amid escalating clashes between the two neighbours, Zabiullah Mujahid, the Taliban government’s spokesperson, said on Saturday.

Mujahid posted on platform X that, “As promised, negotiations will take place with the Pakistani side; a high-level delegation of the Islamic Emirate, led by Defence Minister Maulvi Muhammad Yaqub Mujahid, left for Doha today.”

According to reports from Afghanistan, the delegation is expected to include intelligence chief Mullah Wasiq alongside the defence minister. Pakistan’s Foreign Office has remained silent, though a late evening meeting between National Security Adviser & ISI head Lt Gen Asim Malik and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar suggests Pakistan may send a senior official to Doha.

While no formal confirmation was issued by Islamabad’s government or military, security sources claim Pakistan targeted terrorist hideouts inside Afghanistan on Friday. The operations reportedly hit the Angoor Adda region and the Urgun and Barmal districts of Paktika province, where strikes were aimed at the outlawed Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group and allegedly killed dozens of fighters.

The attacks followed a strike on a Pakistani military installation in North Waziristan, and occurred just hours after Islamabad and Kabul extended a two-day ceasefire.

The newly extended ceasefire is meant to remain in place until the Doha talks conclude, security sources said. The initial 48-hour truce began on Wednesday and was largely observed without violation, but the dialogue that was promised when the ceasefire was first announced failed to take place during that period.

Pakistan & Afghan Taliban have agreed to extend their ceasefire.

Earlier in the day at his weekly briefing, outgoing Foreign Office spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan reiterated Pakistan’s stance that Afghanistan “has become a central breeding ground for global terrorism.” He warned the international community against complacency. “We don’t have to wait for a big disaster happening on a global scale before we act. This fire will spread. It has to be stopped.”

The meeting venue in Doha was offered by Qatar (along with Saudi Arabia), which had urged both sides to halt hostilities. The talks were initially intended to begin on Thursday or Friday but were postponed due to logistical issues and hesitation within the Taliban leadership.