At Istanbul talks, Pakistan urges Afghan Taliban to halt backing of terrorists

After two previous inconclusive sittings, Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban commenced their third round of talks in Turkiye’s capital, Istanbul, in the aftermath of the recent border skirmishes and clashes between the two sides in the ongoing month. Islamabad reiterated its principled stance, urging the Taliban regime to end its patronage of the khawarij — a term commonly used for outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — which is involved in carrying out deadly attacks in Pakistan, as well as cross-border attacks from Afghanistan.