Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif confirmed that his country will not accept any verbal understandings with the Afghan Taliban movement,
that any future agreement must be written and officially documented between the two sides.
In remarks made to the media in Islamabad on Friday,
Asif explained that Pakistan is closely following the negotiations taking place in Istanbul.
Which aims to reach a security and political agreement
that guarantees stable relations between the two countries.
A comprehensive agreement addressing security issues
Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said his country seeks to have these talks lead to
a comprehensive agreement that addresses the complex security issues on the shared border.
Foremost among these is the activity of armed groups
that use Afghan territory as a base for operations against Pakistan.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif added that the Pakistani government cannot accept “verbal promises
or undocumented understandings”.
This is a reference to the failure of previous understandings
that were not officially documented.
He stressed that the current stage requires clear
and written commitments from both parties.
Mutual accusations between Kabul and Islamabad
This stance comes amid escalating tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban movement.
This comes against the backdrop of mutual accusations regarding support
for armed groups such as the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Which is active on the border and carries out frequent attacks against the Pakistani army.
According to Asif, the Pakistani government hopes that the Istanbul talks
will contribute to building more stable and cooperative relations.
With the current Afghan government, in a way that serves
the security of the region and the common interests of both countries.
