Body
China said peace talks between Afghanistan’s Taliban government and Pakistan are advancing after the two countries resumed conversations following weeks of fighting that have killed hundreds.
In comments carried by China’s Foreign Ministry, spokesperson Mao Ning said the “consultation process is being steadily implemented and advanced,” two days after Pakistan and Afghanistan restarted talks in Urumqi, in China’s far west. She said China’s mediation is aimed at maintaining contact with both sides and creating conditions for dialogue.
Ning said the three parties “have also reached consensus and arrangements on a specific operational mode, including media coverage,” while not providing further details about what the operational plan involves. She also said that after the recent escalation of the Pakistan–Afghanistan conflict, China has been mediating and promoting talks through “multiple channels and at various levels.”
Her remarks came as Pakistan reported continued security pressures even with the talks underway. Pakistan’s police said 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.
Pakistan has in recent years seen a surge in attacks, many of them claimed by the Pakistani Taliban. The group, which Pakistan calls out as operating across the border, is separate from but allied with the Afghan Taliban that took over Afghanistan in 2021 after the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led troops, and Kabul has denied providing support to the Pakistani Taliban.
The conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan has also been marked by accusations from both sides. Fighting between them picked up in February, after Afghanistan’s Taliban government said Pakistan launched strikes in Kabul and other areas, causing mostly civilian casualties, and Pakistan said it targeted hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban while also saying it is in “open war” with Afghanistan.
Against that background, China presented its role as facilitating another round of talks after weeks of renewed hostilities. Ning said both Pakistan and Afghanistan “attach importance to and welcome China’s mediation efforts” and are willing to sit down again for talks, which she described as a “positive development.”