In a veiled dig at former prime minister Imran Khan, Pakistan Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has blamed his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for worsening ties with Afghanistan. Pointing out to Lieutenant General (retd) Faiz Hameed's visit to Afghanistan in 2021 following Taliban takeover, Dar said former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief's 'cup of tea' in Kabul proved costly for Islamabad.
Dar made the remarks while speaking during a Senate session on Wednesday. "It was a big mistake and should not be repeated," Dar said, as reported by TOLO News.
In 2021, Hameed's photo while having a tea with Taliban leaders in Kabul had gone viral. Notably, this is the second time when Dar has criticised Hameed. While speaking at a press conference at the Pakistan High Commission in Belgravia district in London last year, Dar had said that Pakistan is "paying a price for that cup of team in Afghanistan".
The Pakistan deputy prime minister had also claimed that the country is facing more security crisis after Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, as he alleged that militant groups such as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Fitna al-Khawarij, and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) were operating from the Afghan soil.
Pakistan-Afghanistan border clashes
Tensions reached to an all-time high between Pakistan and Afghanistan last month after the former conducted air strikes in Kabul, targeting TTP hideouts. The air strike claimed the lives of many civilians, with the Taliban government launching retaliatory strikes against Pakistani forces along the Durand Line.
Taliban has also claimed that the Afghan soil is not being used by any terror group against any other country.
Peace talks mediated by Qatar, Türkiye
So far, the two sides have held two rounds of talks that were mediated by Qatar and Türkiye. They will hold another round of talks in Istanbul on Thursday. The talks are expected to continue for two days.
Following the last round of talks, the Turkish Foreign ministry had said that "all parties have agreed on continuation of ceasefire" and "to put in place a monitoring and verification mechanism that will ensure maintenance of peace and impose a penalty on the violating party".
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