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The Taliban government has warned Pakistan against “testing the patience” of the Afghan government, as the latest round of peace talks in Istanbul, held on November 6 and 7, failed to secure a written commitment from Kabul to take action against Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) militants accused of using Afghan territory for terrorist attacks. After the latest round of talks failed, Noorullah Noori, the Afghan Minister for Tribes, Borders, and Tribal Affairs, warned Pakistani officials not to test the patience of Afghans, saying the elders and youth of Afghanistan will rise to fight if a war breaks out. Speaking at a gathering, Noori said Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif should not be overly confident in his country’s technology, and told him to learn from the fates of the United States and Russia, whose invasions of Afghanistan ended in failure, as per TOLO News. He also pointed out that Pakistan’s Sindh and Punjab provinces were “not far” should tensions escalate. He also declared that “both the elders and youth of Afghanistan will rise to fight” if a war broke out between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Asif had earlier warned that if the Istanbul talks fail, Islamabad may enter direct confrontation with the Taliban. ‘Some Factions In Pak Military Not Happy’ Earlier today, Zabihullah Mujahid, the official spokesperson of the Taliban government, said certain military factions in Pakistan were not happy about the existence of a powerful central government in Afghanistan, nor about its security, progress, and overall peace and stability. “These groups have historically benefited from Afghanistan’s insecurity, occupation, migration, and crises. They now seek to re-enter into confrontation with Afghanistan by fabricating new excuses,” he said in an official statement. Mujahid said the TTP’s emergence in 2002 was a result of misguided policies by certain elements within the Pakistani military, which at the time aligned with the United States and allowed drone strikes in Waziristan while simultaneously turning against the local population. He said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan supported conditions for direct negotiations between the Pakistani government and the TTP, resulting in a long-term ceasefire and substantial progress in talks. However, this was sabotaged by certain factions of the Pakistan Army. “The Islamic Emirate continues to consider itself responsible for ensuring that no one uses its territory to interfere in the affairs of another country, and it will take necessary steps to prevent such actions.” ‘Irresponsible, Non-Cooperative’ Prior to this, Afghanistan accused Pakistan of taking an “irresponsible and non-cooperative” approach during the latest round of peace talks in Istanbul, saying Islamabad attempted to shift “all security responsibility” onto Kabul while refusing to assume any of its own. The Istanbul impasse was the third consecutive failure in a series of talks mediated by Turkey and Qatar since deadly border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The process began in Doha on October 29 following deadly border clashes between October 11 and 15. That round ended without progress, leading to the second meeting on October 25 in Istanbul, which also yielded no breakthrough. The latest round has now collapsed in the same manner, with no schedule for a fourth session.
