Pakistan is reviewing the outcome of recent talks with Taliban representatives in China, while keeping diplomatic channels open for further engagement, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Thursday.
Tahir Andrabi said Islamabad was assessing the results of weeklong discussions held in Urumqi earlier this month, where delegations from Pakistan and the Taliban met in what he described as a trilateral format involving China.
“Our delegation has returned, and the Afghanistan desk at the Foreign Ministry is following up,” Andrabi told reporters at a briefing. “All channels for peace remain open.”
He said security concerns remain at the center of Pakistan’s engagement with Afghanistan, adding that Islamabad continues to seek written assurances from the Taliban that Afghanistan’s territory will not be used against Pakistan.
Pakistan’s approach, he said, is guided by commitments outlined in the Doha framework and international norms, emphasizing the need to protect security forces, law enforcement personnel and civilians, particularly in border areas.
The remarks come after a week of closed-door talks in Urumqi that ended without a publicly announced breakthrough. Chinese officials had described the discussions as informal but said both sides agreed to continue consultations.
The talks followed weeks of heightened tensions, including Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan and subsequent cross-border clashes.
Those incidents affected multiple provinces, including Kabul, Kandahar, Balkh and Nangarhar, and marked one of the most serious escalations between the two sides in recent months.
Previous rounds of talks held in Doha, Istanbul and Riyadh have also failed to produce a lasting agreement, except the Qatar talks that led to a ceasefire which later ended by attacks from both sides.
Despite continued diplomatic efforts, there has been little indication of progress toward resolving key disputes, particularly over militant activity and cross-border security.
