'Only war if talks fail': Pakistan defence minister's big remark amid peace dialogue with Afghanistan
The earlier peace talk sessions between Afghanistan and Pakistan ended with no result despite mediation by Qatar and Turkey.
Even as Afghanistan and Pakistan are headed to Turkey for talks to resolve the conflict along the border between the two countries, Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Asif reportedly warned the Taliban saying that ‘only war will happen’ if talks fail.
In an interview with Pakistan's Geo News, Asif said, “If talks fail, only war will happen,” when he was asked about the military confrontation being the last resort to deal with the Taliban government in Afghanistan. Video clip of the interview has been doing rounds on social media.
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While Asif threatened Afghanistan with war, he also expressed hope that the meeting would help both sides “find a peaceful solution to the current tensions,” according to Pakistan's Dawn newspaper.
Final round of talks to mediate peace
The talks in Turkish city of Istanbul are expected to be the final round of negotiations as the earlier two rounds failed to produce any breakthrough. While the meeting focuses on resolving key disputes and implementing previous agreements that remain unfulfilled, Asif's statement has further added to the existing tensions between the two South Asian neighbours.
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The second round of talks in late October lasted four days but ended without results. The talks followed deadly border clashes and a temporary ceasefire that began on October 19.
Asif on Wednesday confirmed that Pakistan's representatives had left for Istanbul, Asim Malik, head of Pakistan's intelligence agency, news agency ANI reported.
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The Afghan team is led by Abdul Haq Wasiq, head of the General Directorate of Intelligence. Other members include Rahmatullah Najib, Deputy Minister of Interior; Suhail Shaheen, the acting ambassador in Qatar, Anas Haqqani, a senior Taliban figure, Qahar Balkhi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Zakir Jalali, Deputy Director of Political Affairs, according to Afghanistan's TOLO News.
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ANI quoted political analyst Asadullah Nadeem saying that the current meeting could be decisive. “It is possible that this round will be the final one, either to confirm or reject the framework of an agreement previously outlined between the delegations," he was quoted as saying.
Pakistan's warnings to Afghanistan
Previously, Asif had issued a stern warning to Afghanistan during the second round of talks on October 29, saying that Pakistan could strike deep into Afghanistan and "push them back to the caves" if another militant attack occurred on Pakistani soil, according to Dawn.
(With inputs from agencies)
