"ISLAMABAD, Pakistan After five days of on-and-off talks in Istanbul to resolve hostilities that flared in the first half of October, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to continue a ceasefire they arrived at earlier this month, Turkey's Foreign Ministry announced Thursday. In a statement, the ministry said the next round of talks would take place on Nov. 6: "All parties have agreed to put in place a monitoring and verification mechanism that will ensure maintenance of peace and imposing penalty on the violating party.""
"The main issue between the neighboring countries is rising militancy in Pakistan's mountainous borderlands, where the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, has ramped up attacks in the years since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021, following the withdrawal of U.S. forces. The TTP is closely aligned with the Afghan Taliban, and Pakistan accuses Afghanistan's Taliban rulers of providing them a base and failing to rein them in when they orchestrate deadly attacks in Pakistan all of which Afghanistan's Taliban denies."
Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to continue a ceasefire after five days of talks in Istanbul and established a monitoring and verification mechanism to maintain peace and penalize violations. The next round of negotiations is scheduled for Nov. 6. The ceasefire paused intense cross-border fighting that killed dozens on both sides, including civilians, and caused major border crossings to close, halting trade. The primary source of tension is rising militancy by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Pakistan's borderlands and allegations that Afghanistan's Taliban provide the TTP sanctuary, which Afghanistan's Taliban denies. Analysts warn the deep-rooted conflict could reignite and destabilize the region.
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