Pakistan, Afghanistan hold talks in China following border clashes

Pakistan on Thursday confirmed it sent a delegation to China to hold talks with the Afghan government, following weeks of border clashes between the two neighbors.

Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi said that Islamabad has sent a delegation to Urumqi in northwestern China for talks with the Afghan side, according to local broadcaster Geo News.

Senior government officials are representing the Pakistani side, Andrbai told reporters in Islamabad.

The broadcaster reported that the two sides "launched junior-level diplomatic talks in Urumqi."

The meeting in the northwestern Chinese city of Urumqi comes after Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar Tuesday met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing.

According to Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi, a "mid-level" Afghan delegation has arrived in China to hold official talks with the Pakistani side.

The talks have been scheduled with the mediation of the Chinese government, said Balkhi, adding: "This process is at the request of China."

China on Thursday said it will "continue to play a constructive role in de-escalating the situation, and improving relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan."

The two countries are China's neighbors, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing, adding that China supported the two countries in resolving differences and disputes through dialogue.

The latest round of border clashes began late February, when Islamabad launched airstrikes inside Afghanistan, following a series of deadly attacks across Pakistan by militants loyal to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), for which Islamabad accused Kabul of sheltering them and failing to take action against them.

Kabul denies the accusations that the TTP militants use Afghan soil against Pakistan.

According to officials from the two countries, dozens of civilians, soldiers, and militants have been killed on both sides of the border.

The two sides had agreed to a week-long ceasefire on the eve of Eid al-Fitr, one of the main Muslim festivals, on March 18, following requests from Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.