Overview
- Turkey and Qatar mediated talks that produced an agreement to maintain the ceasefire and create a joint monitoring and verification mechanism, according to Ankara’s statement.
- Pakistan’s information ministry rejected as false the Taliban claim that Islamabad spurned a deportation offer, saying Pakistan sought suspects to be controlled or arrested and proposed handover via border posts.
- Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the monitoring framework will involve third parties, put the onus on Kabul to act against TTP and BLA, and include penalties for violations, with operational details due November 6 in Istanbul.
- Defence Minister Khawaja Asif again accused India of using Afghanistan as a proxy and trying to tie down Pakistan on two fronts, offering no public evidence, and noted Torkham’s limited reopening for expulsions only.
- The talks follow October airstrikes and cross-border clashes that left casualties, with Pakistan reporting 23 soldiers killed and claiming over 200 Taliban and allied militants were killed, underscoring the risk if enforcement falters.