No room for Taliban regime’s excuses after joint monitoring mechanism: Tarar

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Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Sunday that Kabul would be bound to take action against militants operating from Afghan soil after Kabul agreed to create a joint monitoring and verification mechanism with third-party participation.

His comments came as Turkey’s foreign ministry issued a joint statement saying Islamabad and Kabul agreed to maintain the ceasefire, as well as establish a monitoring and verification mechanism to ensure peace and punish any violators.

This understanding was reached during the recent talks, which were held in Istanbul from October 25 to 30 under the mediation of Turkey and Qatar, the two countries pledged continuous cooperation for sustainable peace and stability in the region.

Speaking on Geo News’ program “New Pakistan”, Turkey confirmed that the Turkish-Qatar mediation led to Pakistan’s civil and military leadership being “on the same page” with complete unity of thought and action.

He reiterated that Pakistan stands by its principled demands, which include ending terrorism, stopping cross-border attacks, and respecting border sanctity, adding that Afghan territory should not be used for attacks against Pakistan.

Tarar condemned the “propaganda war” waged by the Afghan Taliban government, describing it as a fractured administration that “does not control the whole of Afghanistan” and therefore cannot blame Pakistan for creating instability.

The minister said that it will be on Kabul to work against Fitna al-Kharj and Fitna al-Hindistan operating from its territory.

Regarding the joint framework, he said finer operational details would be finalized during the next round of discussions between senior officials from the two sides in Istanbul on November 6.

“This arrangement removes any justification for the Taliban administration to avoid taking action against militants,” he asserted, adding that they would be punished if they failed to act.

He added that the new framework would provide Islamabad with an additional platform to present evidence and intelligence about violations, which would strengthen Pakistan’s diplomatic and security position.

To a question on Afghanistan’s claim that Pakistan had refused Kabul’s offer to hand over terror suspects, Tarar questioned why the Taliban government was twisting the facts and complicating the situation after negotiations.

He clarified that Islamabad has earlier demanded that Kabul should control or arrest any terrorist who poses a threat to Pakistan. He added that Islamabad immediately proposed that they be handed over through a designated border crossing in line with its longstanding position.

Islamabad-Kabul tension

Since the Afghan Taliban government took power in 2021, Pakistan has been witnessing an increase in incidents of terrorism, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan.

The government in Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban government to rein in the terrorist groups responsible for countless attacks in Pakistan.

However, the Taliban regime remained largely indifferent to Pakistan’s demands and provided sanctuary to several terrorist groups targeting security forces and civilians.

Instead of addressing Pakistan’s concerns about cross-border terrorism, the Taliban government resorted to unprovoked firing along the border on 12 October.

The Pakistan Armed Forces quickly retaliated, killing more than 200 Taliban fighters and associated militants. However, as many as 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred during the border clashes.

Security forces also launched strikes inside Afghanistan, including Kabul, eliminating terrorist hideouts in the country.

Pakistan ended hostilities between the two countries’ forces on October 17 after accepting the Taliban government’s request for a temporary ceasefire.

Delegations from the two countries later met in Doha for talks mediated by Qatar, where they agreed to a ceasefire agreement.

Turkey then hosted a second round of talks in Istanbul, which began on 25 October and lasted until 31 October.

The two sides will meet again in the next round on November 6.