Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin is mediating second round of talks
\n Islamabad
\nTalks between delegations from Pakistan and Afghanistan resumed in Istanbul after Islamabad submitted its reply to the Taliban regime\u2019s response to its counterterrorism plan, sources said on Sunday.
\nTurkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin is mediating the second round of the Istanbul talks, which began hours after the Pakistani delegation responded to the Taliban delegation\u2019s submission of a reply to their suggestions, they added.
\nIn the first phase of the talks in Istanbul on Saturday, Pakistan submitted a counterterrorism plan to the Afghan Taliban in an effort to address cross-border terrorism emanating from the Afghan soil.
\nKabul responded to the plan at 2am late Sunday night.
\nThe negotiations in Istanbul, Turkiye, are the second round of the peace talks, which began between the two nations in Qatar\u2019s Doha on October 19.
\nMediated by Qatar and Turkiye, the first round of talks saw the two sides agree to a ceasefire, following intense border clashes, instigated by the Taliban regime.
\nPakistan launched a retaliatory campaign after the Taliban, aided by their affiliated militants, resorted to unprovoked firing along the border.
\nPakistan Armed Forces repelled multiple attacks on their border posts, killing over 200 Taliban and affiliated militants. However, 23 soldiers embraced martyrdom during the border clashes.
\nPakistan also conducted \u201cprecision strikes\u201d in Afghanistan\u2019s Kandahar province and Kabul, destroying terrorists\u2019 multiple strongholds.
\nFollowing the clashes, Pakistan closed its border crossings with the neighbouring country, saying that the lives of Pakistanis were more important than the movement of goods or trade.
\nMeanwhile, Islamabad continues to raise its concerns over the Taliban regime acting as an Indian proxy against it.
\nSpeaking to reporters in Sialkot on Saturday, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that India was fighting a proxy war using the Afghan Taliban.
\nHe warned of an \u201call-out war\u201d with the Afghan Taliban regime in case the peace talks failed.
\nHowever, Asif \u2014 who led the Pakistani delegation in the Doha talks \u2014 said that he felt an urge for peace during those negotiations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin is mediating second round of talks Islamabad Talks between delegations from Pakistan and Afghanistan resumed in Istanbul after Islamabad submitted its reply to the Taliban regime\u2019s response to its counterterrorism plan, sources said on Sunday. Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin is mediating the second round of the Istanbul talks, which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":510861,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-510853","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n