Afghanistan brands China peace talks with Pakistan ‘useful’

Kabul’s foreign minister expresses hope that minor interpretations will not hinder progress.Afghanistan has said that peace talks with Pakistan being held in China have been “useful”.The comment was issued by the foreign ministry in Kabul amid talks aimed at halting cross-border fighting between the two neighbours, which were launched last week following an invitation by China.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of killing 400 in attack on Kabul hospitallist 2 of 4Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of air strike on drug rehab centrelist 3 of 4Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to temporary Eid al-Fitr ‘pause’ in conflictlist 4 of 4Pakistan, Afghanistan hold talks in China to end months of conflictend of listThe peace process in the western Chinese city of Urumqi is an effort to stop the conflict that began in February, which has seen hundreds killed and perturbed Beijing, which is sensitive to the violence close to its western regions.Pakistan, which declared it was in “open war” with its neighbour, has carried out air strikes inside Afghanistan, including in the capital, Kabul.The United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan posted on X on Tuesday that the conflict had displaced 94,000 people overall, while 100,000 people in two Afghan districts near the border have been completely cut off by the fighting since February.The conflict has alarmed the international community, particularly as the area is one where other armed groups, including al-Qaeda and the ISIL (ISIS) group, still have a presence.Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Zia Ahmad Takal said Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met China’s ambassador to Afghanistan on Tuesday, and thanked Beijing for arranging and hosting the talks, while also crediting Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates for their mediation efforts.“Noting that constructive discussions have taken place so far, FM Muttaqi expressed hope that minor interpretations would not hinder the progress of the negotiations,” Takal wrote.