Although a brief ceasefire mostly stopped days of intense combat between the former allies, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif stated on Thursday that Islamabad was prepared to negotiate a settlement with Afghanistan.
Following airstrikes and ground combat across their disputed border, Pakistan agreed to a 48-hour truce starting at 1300 GMT on Wednesday, killing scores and injuring hundreds. Following a slew of militant strikes, Shahbaz told his cabinet in Islamabad that Pakistan had “retaliated” because it had reached a breaking point with Afghanistan.
When they want to converse on our valid terms and want to resolve through discussion we are ready for that,” Shahbaz continued. “They received this communication yesterday. The initiative is now in their hands. “If this ceasefire is done just to buy time, we will not accept it,” he continued. Enayatullah Khowarazmi, a spokesman for the Afghan defense ministry, said that the truce was holding so far, but Kabul did not immediately respond to his comments.
Afghanistan wishes good relations with all nations, especially its neighbors, Interior Minister Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani told senior Iranian officials at a meeting, according to a statement from the Afghan Taliban Interior Ministry.
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