Islamabad: Pakistan on Friday confirmed that the next round of talks with Afghanistan would be held on November 6 and expressed hope for a “positive outcome” from the dialogue.
Addressing his weekly press conference, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi also said that Pakistan does not wish to escalate tensions with the neighbouring country.
“Pakistan will continue to remain engaged in the mediation process and hopes for a positive outcome for the November 6 talks,” he said.
The next round was scheduled after Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to continue a ceasefire that was agreed after a brief conflict earlier this month.
The first round of talks was held in Doha on October 18 and 19, followed by the second in Istanbul on October 25.
But efforts continued behind the curtains to salvage the process, with Turkiye playing a role in ending the stalemate and paving the way for the
November 6 talks.
It was earlier said that the Istanbul round ended on Tuesday, but Andrabi said the talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban, in the presence of mediators, concluded in Istanbul on Thursday evening.
“Pakistan positively engaged with the Taliban regime without compromising on its clearly stated position that Afghan soil should not be used for terrorism against Pakistan,” he said.
He said that Pakistan was against any escalation of hostilities but “expects the Afghan Taliban regime to honour
its commitment to theinternational community and address Pakistan’s legitimate security concerns by taking concrete and verifiable actions against terrorist entities. agencies