ISLAMABAD: Negotiations between Pakistan and Afghanistan aimed at curbing cross-border terrorism have broken down without agreement, plunging the fragile dialogue into an indefinite hiatus, Pakistan’s defence minister said on Friday, even as a tenuous ceasefire along their shared border holds for now.
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PPP backs limited military reforms, rejects curbs on provincial powers in 27th Amendment
ISLAMABAD: As the government pushes forward with a contentious proposal to amend the Constitution, the Pakistan Peoples Party, a key ally in the ruling coalition, signaled conditional support on Friday for limited changes to the powers of the armed forces while rejecting other elements that could undermine provincial rights.
Pakistan, Afghan Taliban hold new round of talks to shore up fragile border truce
ISLAMABAD: Diplomats from Pakistan and Afghanistan gathered in Turkey on Wednesday ahead of a third round of talks set to open Thursday, seeking to curb cross-border terrorism and reinforce a shaky ceasefire that has held since last month’s deadly clashes along their shared frontier.
Pakistan to table 27th constitutional amendment amid fears over rollback of provincial powers
ISLAMABAD: Deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, said on Tuesday that the government would soon introduce a long-discussed constitutional amendment in Parliament, seeking to quell opposition concerns that the measure could erode provincial autonomy hard-won under a landmark 2010 reform.
Trump says Pakistan among nations testing nuclear arms, claim not independently verified
ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump said Pakistan has been testing nuclear weapons, listing it with Russia, China and North Korea as countries he said are advancing their arsenals while the United States holds to a decades-old moratorium.
Minister Asif accuses India of fuelling terrorism to keep Islamabad engaged on two fronts
ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif accused India on Saturday of trying to entangle his country in conflicts on its eastern and western borders by stoking terrorism in the region, even as Islamabad works to solidify a fragile ceasefire with Afghanistan. “If there is a need for evidence, then we have it, about what involvement India has in terrorism [in Pakistan] and how it wants to keep us busy on two fronts: the eastern and western,” the minister, Khawaja Asif told a private television channel.
Fragile new truce with Taliban hinges on Kabul’s action against militants
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday portrayed a fragile new truce with the Afghan Taliban as a hard-won step toward peace along their volatile border, but one laden with stern conditions and deep scepticism, as Islamabad demanded verifiable action against militants using Afghan soil to stage attacks inside its soil.
Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to extend fragile border truce
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan reached a tentative accord early on Friday to extend a ceasefire along their volatile border, a breakthrough engineered by Turkish and Qatari mediators after days of deadlock in negotiations.
Pakistan keeps Taliban talks alive after Turkey calls to give peace “another chance”
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan agreed on Thursday to extend high-stakes talks with the Afghan Taliban, heeding Turkey’s plea to give peace “another chance”, but only if Kabul delivers “clear, verifiable and effective action” against militants staging deadly attacks on Pakistan from its soil, security officials said.
Pakistan warns of deep strikes into Afghanistan if Taliban fails to curb militants
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s defence minister warned on Wednesday that the country would strike “deep into Afghanistan” if the Taliban regime allowed its territory to be used for terrorist attacks against Pakistan, escalating tensions after the collapse of mediated peace talks in Istanbul.