According to sources representatives from both countries are meeting in Urumqi, in northern China.
However, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs neither confirmed nor denied the latest development.
Sources say the talks are being held at the director-general level, with Pakistan represented by a senior Foreign Office official, along with military and intelligence representatives. The Afghan delegation includes officials from the interior and foreign ministries, as well as members of Afghanistan’s General Directorate of Intelligence.
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have risen since the return of the Afghan Taliban to power in 2021, with Islamabad repeatedly calling for action against militant sanctuaries operating across the border.
Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban administration to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil, particularly those linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP, but those appeals have gone unheeded.
Operation Ghazab lil-Haq was launched on the night of February 26, following unprovoked firing by the Afghan Taliban from across the border.
From March 18 to 23, Pakistan observed a five-day temporary pause in the operation on the occasion of Eidul Fitr, with the FO later saying it would continue “until its objectives are achieved”.
De-escalation requests from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye were part of the reasons behind the pauses announced by both sides, according to their respective statements.