Pak Defence Minister warns of ‘open war’ with Afghanistan if ongoing peace dialogue fails

Istanbul: Pakistan and Afghanistan on Saturday began the second round of peace talks in Istanbul even as Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif reportedly continued to engage in aggressive rhetoric by warning Kabul of an “open war” if the talks fail.

The first round of Pakistan-Afghanistan talks, mediated jointly by Qatar and Turkey, took place in Doha on October 18-19.

While the Afghan delegation is led by Deputy Interior Minister Rahmatullah Mujib and includes Anas Haqqani, brother of the Afghan Interior Minister Noor Ahmad Noor, Pakistan is represented by a two-member delegation of security officials.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who had led the first round of talks on Saturday reportedly said in Sialkot that the outcome of the fresh round of talks would likely be revealed by Sunday.

“He said that if the dialogue fails, Pakistan may have no choice but to engage in open conflict with Afghanistan. However, he added that both sides appear to be seeking peace,” reported Pakistan’s Daily Times.

Pakistani media reported on Saturday that Islamabad also wants to establish a “third-party oversight structure”, potentially co-chaired by Turkey and Qatar, to verify progress and address non-compliance.

“At the talks today, Pakistan is expected to seek concrete and verifiable commitments from the Afghan side to eliminate the threat of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from its territory, which Pakistan says uses Afghan soil to launch attacks across the border,” reported the country’s leading daily ‘Dawn’.

Relations between Kabul and Islamabad have been undergoing a turbulent phase as the situation on the Durand Line has witnessed several clashes in the past few weeks.

Afghanistan’s FM Amir Khan Muttaqi’s week-long visit to New Delhi beginning on October 9 was viewed with extreme hostility by the Pakistani establishment, and on the very first day of Muttaqi’s visit, Kabul witnessed drone attacks.

Months after India put the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance in response to Pakistan-sponsored terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, Afghanistan has also announced its plans to build dams on the Kunar River “as soon as possible”, which is likely to create a troubling unease in Islamabad.

Taking it to X, Muhajer Farahi, Taliban’s Deputy Information Minister, said that the Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has instructed Ministry of Water and Energy to begin construction of dams on the Kunar River as soon as possible and to sign contracts with domestic companies and not wait for foreign companies.

The move comes after a ceasefire was brokered between the two countries following days of hostilities.

The Chitral River, also known in Afghanistan as the Kunar River, is a 480-kilometre-long river in northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan.

It originates from the Chiantar glacier, located at the border of Gilgit Baltistan and Chitral in Pakistan.

At Arandu, it enters Afghanistan, where it is called the Kunar River. It later merges with the Kabul River in Nangahar Province of Afghanistan. The river system is fed by melting glaciers and snow of the Hindu Kush mountains.

IANS