Pakistan, Afghanistan hold talks in China amid tensions — official

WASEEM ABBASI
Publish Date: April 1, 2026
Published In: Arabnews

Pakistan and Afghanistan are holding talks in the Chinese city of Urumqi, a Pakistani government official with direct knowledge of the discussions said on Wednesday, reiterating that Islamabad’s position on cross-border “terrorism” remains unchanged. 

The talks in Urumqi take place a day after Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Beijing for talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on regional developments. Both sides issued a five-point initiative after their meeting on Tuesday, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Iran.

While the joint statement from both countries did not mention Afghanistan, China has mediated in the conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which began in late February, through a special envoy and has called for a ceasefire between both sides. 

Pakistan and Afghanistan have had a strained relationship for months, after dozens of people were killed in fighting in October last year. Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of harboring militants from the Pakistani Taliban, who have claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks in Pakistan, as well as from the local offshoot of the Daesh group. Border clashes between both sides resumed in late February when Afghan forces launched a surprising attack on Pakistani border posts. 

“A low-level official from the Pakistani side is engaged in talks with Afghan officials in the Chinese city of Urumqi,” a government official told Arab News on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media. 

Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi did not respond to Arab News’ request for comment on the matter. 

Pakistan, Afghanistan and China launched a trilateral dialogue mechanism in 2017 to promote political trust, counterterrorism coordination and economic integration between the three nations. The last round of talks under the trilateral mechanism between the three took place in Kabul in May 2025. 

Local media reports stated that the three sides are meeting again in Urumqi under the trilateral mechanism. However, the official did not confirm whether the talks were being held under the same mechanism. 

“Our position on terrorism emanating from Afghanistan remains unchanged,” he said. 

Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul remain high since last month, when Kabul said a Pakistani airstrike hit a drug treatment hospital in the Afghan capital, killing more than 400 people. The UN humanitarian affairs office has said the death toll remains under verification. Pakistan has denied targeting civilians, saying it struck an ammunition depot.

The two sides paused fighting last month due to the Muslim festival of Eid Al-Fitr and at the request of Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Qatar. 

However, a Pakistani security official said on Mar. 25 that Islamabad had resumed its military operations against Afghanistan under Operation “Ghazab Lil Haq” or the Wrath for Truth.

Pakistan has warned Afghanistan that it will not stop its military operations until Kabul refrains from supporting militants, a charge Afghanistan has always denied.