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Istanbul, Turkiye: The second round of discussions between Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve the military conflict between them commenced in Istanbul on Saturday.This comes a week after both parties jointly agreed to a ceasefire agreement following intense border clashes earlier this month.The first round of talks, jointly mediated by Qatar and Turkiye, took place in Doha on October 18 and 19. During the meeting, both parties agreed to an "immediate ceasefire" after days of fierce clashes between the two nations.The Afghan side is being represented by a delegation led by Deputy Minister of the Interior Haji Najib. The other members in the delegation include Hafiz Anas Haqqani, Suhail Shaheen, Maulvi Noor ur Rahman Nusrat, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, and Noor Ahmad Noor, among others.The Pakistani side is being represented by a two-member delegation comprising security officials, as reported by The Express Tribune.The primary focus of these talks is to extend the previously agreed truce and to ensure mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity (both airspace and land borders), according to reports.Other key topics expected to be discussed during the negotiations include:1. Ending hostile activities against each other and establishing a monitoring and oversight mechanism.2. Upholding existing laws to ensure respect for the national sovereignty of both countries and strict implementation thereof.3. Understanding the root causes of the security challenges that have persisted in Pakistan over the past two decades.4. Removing obstacles to trade, halting the forced deportation of refugees, reopening blocked routes, and ensuring that such issues are not exploited for political purposes.It is worth noting that no topics beyond these will be discussed, and Pakistani media may circulate misleading reports or rumors regarding the negotiations, a reflection of their habitual propaganda and failed political approach, a source said.Earlier on Friday, Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson, Tahir Hussain Andrabi, in a weekly press briefing, stated that Islamabad anticipates the creation of a "concrete and verifiable monitoring mechanism" during the Istanbul meeting to tackle terrorism originating from Afghan soil and prevent further loss of Pakistani lives."Pakistan looks forward to the establishment of a concrete and verifiable monitoring mechanism in the next meeting to be hosted by Turkiye in Istanbul on Oct 25, 2025, to address the menace of terrorism emanating from Afghan soil towards Pakistan and prevent any further loss of life of Pakistanis," he stated, as quoted by Dawn."We are taking part in the second round of talks in Istanbul with the same sincerity of purpose and intent with which we participated in Doha," Andrabi added, as quoted by Dawn.Also Read: 'Why These Double Standards?': Harish Salve Decodes Justice Yashwant Varma's Burning Cash Scandal
