‘Ball Is In Their Court’: PM Shehbaz Says Pakistan Open To Talks If Afghanistan Meets Conditions | World News

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday stated that Pakistan is open to dialogue with Afghanistan provided Kabul meets Islamabad’s “justifiable” conditions following the latest deadly border clashes between the two countries, Dawn reported.

The two sides agreed to a temporary ceasefire on Wednesday after rising violence along the border raised fears of wider conflict, according to the publication. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the mutually agreed ceasefire requested by the Taliban will come into force at 18:00 local time on October 15 and will last for 48 hours.

Addressing the federal cabinet after the clashes, Shehbaz said, “Yesterday, we decided on a 48-hour temporary ceasefire.” [and] If they want to fulfill our justified conditions through negotiation, we were given the message that we are ready. “The ball is in their court,” he said.

He added that if the Afghan government is “sincere and serious” it should take the initiative to start negotiations. The Prime Minister also noted that Pakistan’s allies, especially Qatar, are actively working to reduce tensions.

Expressing hope for a permanent solution, Shehbaz emphasized that the existence of “Fitna al-Hawarij”, which refers to terrorist groups on Afghan soil, should be eliminated and that it should be ensured that it is no longer used as a base for attacks against Pakistan.

Reiterating his position, he said the continuation of the ceasefire would depend on “solid demands,” warning, “If this was only done to buy time, then we won’t accept it.”

The Prime Minister stated that Pakistani officials have been to Kabul many times for “sincere dialogue” aimed at peaceful resolution of problems. However, he said, “Unfortunately, despite all efforts, this was not possible.”

In his last meeting with the Emir of Qatar in Egypt, Shehbaz noted that the Emir condemned the latest border incident and expressed his desire to mediate in reducing the tension between Islamabad and Kabul.

Shehbaz also praised the Pakistani armed forces and Chief of General Staff General Asim Munir for their response during the clashes, stating that it was “necessary” as there were many casualties in counter-terrorism operations.

Addressing the situation in Gaza, Shehbaz described the cessation of clashes and casualties as a “great success”, according to Dawn. He expressed his appreciation to “United States President Donald Trump and all Muslim countries”, singling out Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia and the UAE for their role in achieving the ceasefire.

He reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for the Palestinian cause, saying “Palestinians should have their own state” and promised that Pakistan would continue to defend their sovereign rights.

On the economic front, Shehbaz welcomed the recently reached staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and praised the efforts of the economic team and the finance ministry. He expressed hope that “this should be the last program that Pakistan enters into with the IMF” and stressed that the country must free itself from debt through “constant struggle and effort”.

(With inputs from ANI)