Pakistan says onus on Afghanistan to end hostilities

Pakistan said Thursday (April 2, 2026) that the burden of ending its cross-border conflict lay with Afghanistan, as the two sides held preliminary talks to try to end hostilities.

The neighbours and one-time allies have been locked in an escalating conflict over claims from Islamabad that Afghanistan is harbouring militants responsible for cross-border attacks, which the Taliban government denies.

​No end to suffering: On the Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict

Negotiations in Urumqi, in northwest China, were announced Wednesday (April 1, 2026) by Pakistan, after Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar travelled to Beijing for talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.

Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Hussain Andrabi told reporters in the capital that the government hoped for a “durable solution”.

“Our participation (in talks) is a reiteration of our core concerns,” he said.

“The burden of real process, however, lies with Afghanistan, which must demonstrate visible and verifiable actions against terrorist groups using (its) soil against Pakistan.”

Following China’s request for talks, the Taliban government said it had sent a “mid-level delegation” to Urumqi.

The Afghan side “intends to hold comprehensive and responsible talks with the other side on good neighbourliness, strengthening trade relations, and effective management of security issues”, Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said.

Pakistan described the negotiations as “working level talks”.

“Our delegation has not returned yet,” Islamabad’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

Beijing deployed a special envoy to try to broker a deal last month, but the diplomatic effort was followed by Pakistani strikes on a Kabul rehab centre that prompted international condemnation.

More than 400 people were killed in the attack, according to Afghan officials, which Islamabad said targeted military installations.

The two sides then announced a pause in fighting to mark the end of Ramadan, at the request of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.

But sporadic attacks have been reported in border areas since the temporary truce ended.

Pakistani shelling killed two civilians and wounded 10 others on Wednesday (April 1, 2026), a provincial official said.

Two of those wounded were in critical condition, Najib Hanif, Kunar province information chief, told AFP.

While addressing hostilities with its neighbour, Pakistan has also been engaged in a flurry of diplomacy to try to bring Washington and Tehran to the table and end their war.

China has backed Pakistan’s efforts, aligning itself with the aims of Gulf countries affected by the spread of the conflict in the region.