The high-stakes warning came as a second round of crucial talks between the two neighboring countries commenced on Saturday in Istanbul, Turkey. These discussions, focusing on securing a lasting ceasefire, follow weeks of intense and deadly clashes along their shared border.
"If the negotiations fail, Pakistan would have no option other than open war with Afghanistan," Asif stated in comments reported by Reuters. Despite the severe warning, he noted that both sides seem to desire a peaceful resolution.
The diplomatic push in Istanbul is being led by Afghanistan’s Minister Haji Najib, with senior Pakistani security officials in attendance. The talks were reportedly triggered by a significant military escalation on October 9th, when Pakistan conducted airstrikes on what it claimed were bases of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group inside Afghanistan, near Kabul.
The Taliban government in Afghanistan condemned the strikes, holding Pakistan responsible for border disputes and airspace violations. According to UN figures, the Pakistani attacks resulted in significant civilian casualties, killing 37 and injuring 425. Afghanistan accused Pakistan of targeting civilian areas, while Islamabad maintained its actions were counter-terrorism operations.
The current crisis is rooted in the long-standing and contentious dispute over the Durand Line. The border, drawn during the British colonial era, has never been formally accepted by successive Afghan governments or the ethnic Pashtun populations it divides.
As the world watches the talks in Istanbul, the region holds its breath, hoping diplomacy can avert the threat of an all-out open war between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
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