Pakistan says a new round of peace talks with Afghanistan is underway in China

It was unclear who is representing Pakistan in the talks. Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi said in a post on X that “a mid-level delegation" from his country had traveled to Urumqi for the negotiations following a request from China.

Balkhi said Afghanistan believes diplomatic engagement grounded in mutual respect and non-interference can help produce “practical and lasting solutions” to bilateral issues.

In Islamabad, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told a news briefing that the talks are ongoing. “Yes, Pakistan has sent a delegation to Urumqi, in line with its consistent position and longstanding practice of supporting a credible process that can help find a durable solution to cross-border terrorism from Afghanistan,” he said.

Pakistan says success of talks lies with Afghanistan

Andrabi said success of the talks largely depends on Kabul.

“The burden of a real process lies with Afghanistan, which must demonstrate visible and verifiable action against terrorist groups using Afghan soil against Pakistan,” he said.

Pakistan has witnessed a surge in attacks in recent years, many claimed by the Pakistani Taliban. A suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a police station in the Bannu district of northwestern Pakistan late Thursday, killing at least five people and wounding several others, local police chief Rafi Ullah said.

Pakistan often accuses Afghanistan of providing a safe haven to militants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan, especially the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. The group is separate from but allied with the Afghan Taliban, which took over Afghanistan in 2021 following the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led troops. Kabul denies the charge.

The fighting between the two sides has been the deadliest since February, when Afghanistan’s Taliban government said Pakistan launched strikes in Kabul and several other areas, causing mostly civilian casualties. Pakistan has said it targeted hideouts of TTP. Pakistan also has said it is in “open war” with Afghanistan.

Andrabi said Pakistan has never shied away from dialogue on the issue. “We remain engaged with the Chinese leadership on this issue and other relevant international partners,” he said, but maintained that Pakistan is seeking written assurances from Kabul that Afghan soil will not be used for attacks against Pakistan.

Though China has not officially confirmed the talks, the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday said Xi Jinping’s government has been “actively mediating and facilitating the resolution of conflicts between Afghanistan and Pakistan.” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China has “always supported both sides in resolving their differences through dialogue and negotiation.”

Afghanistan says Pakistan's shelling continues

Despite the peace talks, Pakistan’s operations against the Pakistani Taliban along the border with Afghanistan and other militant groups will continue, according to Andrabi.

Afghanistan’s deputy government spokesperson, Hamdullah Fitrat, posted on X on Thursday night that Pakistan since Wednesday had been “continuously carrying out mortar, missile and drone attacks” on the eastern Afghan provinces of Kunar, Paktika and Khost. He said two people were killed and 25 people, mostly children, had been wounded.

On Thursday, he said, Pakistan had fired 185 long-range artillery shells into one district in Kunar, wounding 10 people, while 178 long-range artillery and mortar shells hit other areas of Kunar, causing no casualties.

Andrabi dismissed an earlier accusation by a police spokesperson in Kunar who said on Wednesday that mortars fired from Pakistan had killed two civilians and wounded another six. Andrabi said Pakistan conducts operations against militants with care to avoid civilian casualties.

Tensions have been especially high since last month, when Afghanistan said a Pakistani airstrike at a drug-treatment center in Kabul killed more than 400 people. The death toll could not be independently confirmed, and Pakistan has disputed the claim. It denied targeting civilians, saying it struck an ammunition depot in Kabul.

The latest peace talks in China followed earlier rounds held in Qatar and Turkey, during which the two sides agreed to a ceasefire which largely remained in place until Pakistan carried out strikes in Kabul and elsewhere in Afghanistan in late February, triggering border clashes.

Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban have a history of tense relations, but the ongoing violence has alarmed the international community, particularly because apart from outlawed TTP, other militant groups such as al-Qaida and the Islamic State group remain present in the region and have sought to regroup.

Castillo reported from Beijing. Associated Press writers Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan, Abdul Qahar Afghan and Elena Becatoros contributed from Kabul.