‘The ball is in their court’: Pak PM Shehbaz says Pakistan ready for talks if Afghanistan meets conditions

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said that Pakistan was ready for dialogue if Afghanistan fulfilled Islamabad’s “justified” conditions following recent cross-border hostilities between the two sides, Dawn reported.

According to Dawn, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed on Wednesday to a temporary ceasefire after deadly clashes along the border that risked escalating into a wider conflict. The Foreign Office said the ceasefire, requested by the Taliban and mutually agreed upon, began at 6 pm local time on October 15 and would last for 48 hours.

While addressing the federal cabinet after the latest round of tensions, the premier said, “Yesterday we decided the temporary 48-hour ceasefire [and] the message has been sent that if they want to fulfil our justified conditions through talks, then we are ready. The ball is in their court.”

As reported by Dawn, Shehbaz stated that if the Afghan side was “sincere and serious,” it would take the initiative to hold talks. He added that Pakistan’s allied nations, particularly Qatar, were also working to ease the situation.

The prime minister expressed hope that the issue would be resolved on a lasting basis, including the elimination of the “Fitna al-Khawarij” from Afghan soil so that its territory would no longer be used by terrorists.

Reiterating his stance, Shehbaz said he hoped the ceasefire would continue in the future on the basis of “solid demands.” He warned, “If this was only done to buy time then we won’t accept it.”

As per Dawn, the prime minister noted that officials from Pakistan had travelled to Kabul several times for “cordial dialogue” to address issues jointly and peacefully. “Unfortunately, despite all efforts, this was not possible,” he said.

The premier mentioned that the Qatari emir had condemned the recent incident during their meeting in Egypt and expressed a desire to mediate and reduce tensions between the two countries.

Shehbaz also praised the armed forces and Field Marshal Asim Munir for their response during the clashes, saying it was “necessary” due to the loss of many lives in counter-terrorism operations.

Turning to developments in Gaza, Dawn quoted the prime minister as saying that it was a “great achievement” if fighting and deaths had stopped in the besieged territory.

He also appreciated the contributions of “United States President Donald Trump and all Muslim countries,” particularly Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Turkiye, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates, for their efforts toward achieving the ceasefire.

The prime minister reiterated that “the Palestinians should get their own state,” adding that Pakistan would continue supporting this cause, Dawn reported.

Shehbaz also welcomed the recent staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and applauded his economic team and the finance ministry for their dedicated efforts.

“This should be the last programme that Pakistan enters with the IMF,” he said, stressing that the country must work to free itself from debt through “continuous struggle and effort.” (ANI)