The defense minister’s warning comes as the countries continue talks in Istanbul to strengthen last week’s Doha ceasefire.
Published on October 25, 2025
Pakistani and Afghan officials have discussed how to ensure this in Istanbul The recent ceasefire The accord between the two countries came after the Pakistani defense minister warned of “open war” if the effort failed.
The talks, which began on Saturday and are expected to continue on Sunday, came days after Qatar and Turkey brokered a ceasefire in Doha to end deadly clashes between the neighbours. Dozens of people were killed and hundreds injured in the cross-border violence.
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“We have an option, if there is no deal, we will go to open war with them,” Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on Saturday from the eastern Pakistani city of Sialkot.
“But I saw that they wanted peace,” he added.
Reporting from Istanbul, Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu said the “technical-level talks” in Turkey were expected to “pave a way”. Permanent solution Between two neighbors.
While Afghanistan’s Deputy Interior Minister Haji Najeeb is leading his country’s delegation to Turkey, Pakistan has not given details about its delegation.
On Friday, a spokesman for Pakistan’s foreign affairs ministry said the talks should address “the threat of terrorism emanating from Afghan soil towards Pakistan”.
Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of harboring what it calls “terrorist groups” including the Pakistani Taliban (TPP). Kabul has denied the allegations and blamed Islamabad for violating its sovereignty through military strikes.
Major crossings between the following countries are closed recent battleThe Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry estimates that traders are losing millions of dollars every day as the ban continues.
Ibrahim Bahis, an analyst at the International Crisis Group in Afghanistan, told the AFP news agency that the main topic of discussion during the Istanbul talks would be intelligence sharing on armed groups.
“For example, Pakistan will give them coordinates of where they suspect TTP fighters or commanders are, and instead of launching attacks, Afghanistan is expected to act on them,” he said.
Meanwhile, the cease-fire was announced in Doha last Sunday Holding on.
Pakistan Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said, “There has been no major terrorist attack from the Afghan soil in the last two-three days.
“So, the Doha talks and results were fruitful. We want to continue the trend in Istanbul and post-Istanbul.”