AP Exclusive: Pakistan, Afghan Taliban resume talks in China as Beijing seeks ceasefire

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban governments have resumed talks in China, which is mediating between the two sides to broker a durable ceasefire after more than a month of fighting, two Pakistani officials said Wednesday.

A third person who is in a position to know about China's mediation efforts said the talks were aimed at ending the current fighting.

Representatives from both countries are meeting in Urumqi, in northern China, the officials told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

China has not commented.

Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs neither confirmed nor denied the latest development.

However, the officials said talks, seen as a potential relief for millions of people in Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan, began in Urumqi, the sources said.

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of providing a safe haven for militants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan, especially for the Pakistani Taliban. The group is separate but closely allied with the Afghan Taliban, which took over Afghanistan in 2021 in the wake of the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led troops. Kabul denies the charge.

Tensions have been high since last month, when Kabul said a Pakistani airstrike hit a drug treatment hospital in the Afghan capital, killing more than 400 people. The U.N. humanitarian affairs office has said the death toll remains under verification. Pakistan has denied targeting civilians, saying it struck an ammunition depot.

Last month, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told the AP that Pakistan had “only targeted terrorist infrastructure” in Kabul not any hospital, saying “We have just gone after the Afghan Taliban regime, their military setups, their terrorist infrastructure, and all the setups which are supporting or promoting terrorists.”

Although the two sides agreed to a temporary ceasefire during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, fighting later resumed at a lower intensity compared with the heavy clashes seen in February and March, when Pakistan’s air force repeatedly targeted Pakistani Taliban positions and Afghan military sites.

The conflict has been deadly in recent years. In February, Pakistan declared it was in “open war” with Afghanistan. The violence has alarmed the international community, particularly because militant groups such as al-Qaida and the Islamic State group remain present in the region and have sought to regroup.

According to the sources, the latest round of talks began after both sides accepted China’s offer to mediate.

Tensions between the two countries have persisted for months. The latest fighting also undermined a Qatari-mediated ceasefire reached in October, which had halted earlier clashes that killed dozens of civilians, security personnel and militants. The two sides dispute casualty figures.

Previous peace talks held in Istanbul in November failed to produce a lasting agreement.

Becatoros reported from Kabul.